[Inducible specific lux-biosensors for the detection of antibiotics: construction and main parameters]

Based on Escherichia coli, highly sensitive specific lux-biosensors for the detection of tetracycline and beta-lactam antibiotics, quinolones, and aminoglycosides have been obtained. To make biosensors, bacteria were used that contained fungal plasmids pTetA'::lux, pAmpC'::lux, pColD'::lux, and plbpA'::lux, in which transcription of the reporter Photorhabdus luminescens luxCDABE genes occurred from the inducible promoters of the tetA, ampC, cda, and ibpA genes, respectively. The main parameters (threshold sensitivity and response time) of lux-biosensors were measured. The high specificity of biosensors responding only to antibiotics of a certain type was demonstrated.