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Related Concept Videos

Gene Regulation in Microbial Communities: Quorum Sensing01:28

Gene Regulation in Microbial Communities: Quorum Sensing

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Quorum sensing is a mechanism of bacterial communication that enables coordinated gene expression in response to changes in population density. This facilitates collective behaviors that enhance survival, resource acquisition, and ecological adaptation. This process relies on small signaling molecules called autoinducers that accumulate as bacterial populations grow. When a critical threshold concentration of autoinducers is reached, bacterial cells collectively modify gene expression,...
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Bacterial signaling can occur within bacteria (intracellular) or between bacteria (intercellular). At times, a group of bacteria behaves like a community. To achieve this, they engage in quorum sensing, the perception of higher cell density that causes changes in gene expression. Quorum sensing involves both extracellular and intracellular signaling. The signaling cascade starts with a molecule called an autoinducer (AI). Individual bacteria produce AIs that move out of the bacterial cell...
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Global Regulatory Systems01:28

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Global regulatory systems in bacteria enable rapid and coordinated responses to environmental changes by integrating sensory inputs with gene expression, ensuring efficient adaptation to fluctuating conditions. Key global regulatory mechanisms include regulons, two-component systems, sigma factors, and secondary messengers.Regulons and Global RegulatorsA regulon is a collection of genes and operons controlled by a common global regulator. These regulators enable bacteria to prioritize resource...
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Operon Model01:23

Operon Model

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The operon model represents a fundamental mechanism of gene regulation in prokaryotes, enabling coordinated expression of genes involved in related metabolic or functional pathways. Operons consist of structural genes, a promoter, and an operator, with transcription regulated by repressors, activators, and small effector molecules.Structure and Function of OperonsAn operon is a cluster of structural genes transcribed together under the control of a single promoter. The promoter region...
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Riboswitches01:56

Riboswitches

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Riboswitches are non-coding mRNA domains that regulate the transcription and translation of downstream genes without the help of proteins. Riboswitches bind directly to a metabolite and can form unique stem-loop or hairpin structures in response to the amount of the metabolite present. They have two distinct regions – a metabolite-binding aptamer and an expression platform.
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The lac operon in Escherichia coli is a model for understanding inducible gene regulation and metabolic flexibility. It integrates local control by lactose and global regulation through catabolite repression, enabling E. coli to preferentially metabolize glucose when available and switch to lactose utilization when glucose is scarce.Structure and Function of the lac OperonThe lac operon contains three structural genes: lacZ (β-galactosidase), lacY (lactose permease), and lacA...
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Light-Controlled Fermentations for Microbial Chemical and Protein Production
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Quorum Sensing-Based Dual-Function Switch and Its Application in Solving Two Key Metabolic Engineering Problems.

Fei Gu1, Wei Jiang1, Yunlan Mu1

  • 1State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology , Shandong University , Qingdao , 266237 , P. R. China.

ACS Synthetic Biology
|January 17, 2020
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

We developed novel quorum sensing (QS) switches for dynamic gene control in metabolic engineering. These QS switches significantly enhanced the production of valuable compounds like poly-β-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) and 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) in E. coli.

Keywords:
Esa systemQS switchesdynamic regulationmetabolic engineeringquorum sensing

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Area of Science:

  • Metabolic Engineering
  • Synthetic Biology
  • Microbial Biotechnology

Background:

  • Metabolic engineering optimizes cellular pathways for high-value product synthesis.
  • Dynamic control of gene expression is crucial for efficient metabolic flux redirection.
  • Quorum sensing (QS) systems offer a mechanism for cell-to-cell communication and gene regulation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To design and construct bifunctional dynamic switches using quorum sensing (QS) for precise gene expression control.
  • To leverage the Esa QS system and its EsaR protein for both transcriptional activation and repression.
  • To apply these QS switches to enhance the production of 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) and poly-β-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) in Escherichia coli.

Main Methods:

  • Designed and constructed QS-based bifunctional dynamic switches utilizing the Esa QS system.
  • Verified the functionality and dynamic control capabilities of the QS switches via fluorescence characterization.
  • Implemented the QS switches in E. coli to address gene knockout requirements and redirect metabolic flux for enhanced product synthesis.

Main Results:

  • Demonstrated the effectiveness and feasibility of QS-based bifunctional dynamic switches for synchronized gene regulation.
  • Successfully applied QS switches to optimize the production of 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) and poly-β-hydroxybutyrate (PHB).
  • Achieved a 12-fold increase in ALA production and a 6-fold increase in PHB production in E. coli.

Conclusions:

  • QS-based bifunctional dynamic switches provide a powerful tool for advanced metabolic engineering strategies.
  • These switches enable precise temporal control over gene expression, facilitating complex metabolic pathway optimization.
  • The developed system offers a significant improvement in the microbial production of key industrial compounds like ALA and PHB.