Novel Hybrid Input Part Using Riboswitch and Transcriptional Repressor for Signal Inverting Amplifier

Genetic circuits are composed of input, logic, and output parts. Construction of complex circuits for practical applications requires numerous tunable genetic parts. However, the limited diversity and complicated tuning methods used for the input parts hinders the scalability of genetic circuits. Therefore, a new type of input part is required that responds to diverse signals and enables easy tuning. Here, we developed RNA-protein hybrid input parts that combine a riboswitch and orthogonal transcriptional repressors. The hybrid inputs successfully regulated the transcription of an output in response to the input signal detected by the riboswitch and resulted in signal inversion because of the expression of transcriptional repressors. Dose-response parameters including fold-change and half-maximal effective concentration were easily modulated and amplified simply by changing the promoter strength. Furthermore, the hybrid input detected both exogenous and endogenous signals, indicating potential applications in metabolite sensing. This hybrid input part could be highly extensible considering the rich variety of components.