Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Bacterial Signaling

Bacterial Signaling

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...

Biosynthesis in Bacteria

Biosynthesis in Bacteria

Biosynthesis in bacteria is a fundamental anabolic process that generates essential macromolecules, including proteins, nucleic acids, lipids, and polysaccharides. These macromolecules are critical for cellular growth, replication, and function. The process is tightly regulated and energetically linked to catabolic pathways to ensure optimal resource utilization.Biosynthetic pathways begin with precursor metabolites such as pyruvate, acetyl-CoA, and glucose-6-phosphate derived from glycolysis,...

What is Cell Signaling?

What is Cell Signaling?

Despite the protective membrane that separates a cell from the environment, cells need the ability to detect and respond to environmental changes. Additionally, cells often need to communicate with one another. Unicellular and multicellular organisms use a variety of cell signaling mechanisms to communicate to respond to the environment.

Gene Regulation in Microbial Communities: Quorum Sensing

Gene Regulation in Microbial Communities: Quorum Sensing

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,...

Overview of Cell Signaling

Overview of Cell Signaling

Despite the protective membrane that separates a cell from the environment, cells need the ability to detect and respond to environmental changes. Additionally, cells often need to communicate with one another. Unicellular and multicellular organisms use a variety of cell signaling mechanisms to communicate with the environment.
Cells respond to many types of information, often through receptor proteins positioned on the membrane. For example, skin cells respond to and transmit touch...

Bacterial Transformation

Bacterial Transformation

In 1928, bacteriologist Frederick Griffith worked on a vaccine for pneumonia, which is caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria. Griffith studied two pneumonia strains in mice: one pathogenic and one non-pathogenic. Only the pathogenic strain killed host mice.
Griffith made an unexpected discovery when he killed the pathogenic strain and mixed its remains with the live, non-pathogenic strain. Not only did the mixture kill host mice, but it also contained living pathogenic bacteria that...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Tuning Circular Dichroism and Circularly Polarised Luminescence in Single Crystals of a Perylene Diimide Macrocycle.

Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English)·2026

Same author

Conformational switching modulates excited-state pathways in a cofacial perylene dimer.

Chemical science·2026

Same author

Correction to "DNA-Programmable Protein Degradation: Dynamic Control of Proteolysis-Targeting Chimera Activity via DNA Hybridization and Strand Displacement".

JACS Au·2026

Same author

Chirally locked and dynamic bis-perylene diimide macrocycles with multiple sources of chirality.

Communications chemistry·2026

Same author

Magnetic activation of spherical nucleic acids enables the remote control of synthetic cells.

Nature chemistry·2025

Same author

DNA-Programmable Protein Degradation: Dynamic Control of Proteolysis-Targeting Chimera Activity via DNA Hybridization and Strand Displacement.

JACS Au·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 24, 2025

Using Synthetic Biology to Engineer Living Cells That Interface with Programmable Materials

Using Synthetic Biology to Engineer Living Cells That Interface with Programmable Materials

Published on: March 9, 2017

Engineering cellular communication between light-activated synthetic cells and bacteria.

Jefferson M Smith¹, Denis Hartmann¹, Michael J Booth^2,3

¹Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.

Nature Chemical Biology

|July 6, 2023

Summary

Researchers developed light-activated synthetic cells for controlled gene expression. This enables remote control of small molecule production, bridging nonliving and living systems for potential medical applications.

More Related Videos

A Multilayer Microfluidic Platform for the Conduction of Prolonged Cell-Free Gene Expression

A Multilayer Microfluidic Platform for the Conduction of Prolonged Cell-Free Gene Expression

Published on: October 6, 2019

In Situ Measurement and Correlation of Cell Density and Light Emission of Bioluminescent Bacteria

In Situ Measurement and Correlation of Cell Density and Light Emission of Bioluminescent Bacteria

Published on: June 28, 2018

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 24, 2025

Using Synthetic Biology to Engineer Living Cells That Interface with Programmable Materials

Using Synthetic Biology to Engineer Living Cells That Interface with Programmable Materials

Published on: March 9, 2017

A Multilayer Microfluidic Platform for the Conduction of Prolonged Cell-Free Gene Expression

A Multilayer Microfluidic Platform for the Conduction of Prolonged Cell-Free Gene Expression

Published on: October 6, 2019

In Situ Measurement and Correlation of Cell Density and Light Emission of Bioluminescent Bacteria

In Situ Measurement and Correlation of Cell Density and Light Emission of Bioluminescent Bacteria

Published on: June 28, 2018

Area of Science:

Synthetic biology
Biotechnology
Biochemistry

Background:

Gene-expressing compartments offer a modular platform for minimal synthetic cells.
Controlling in situ gene expression via stimuli is key to synthetic cell function.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop a method for light-controlled cell-free protein synthesis within synthetic cells.
To enable remote, spatiotemporal control over synthetic cell activation and function.

Main Methods:

Encoding genes on light-activated DNA templates with photocleavable blockades in the T7 promoter region.
Utilizing ultraviolet light to remove blockades and initiate transcription.
Expressing an acyl homoserine lactone synthase (BjaI) in synthetic cells.

Main Results:

Achieved tight repression of transcription until light activation.
Demonstrated remote, spatiotemporal control of synthetic cell gene expression.
Successfully controlled quorum-sensing communication between synthetic cells and bacteria using light.

Conclusions:

Developed a framework for light-controlled production and delivery of small molecules from synthetic cells.
Established a method for remote activation of nonliving matter to interact with living systems.
Opened avenues for applications in biology and medicine, particularly in targeted delivery and communication.