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Biological and Molecular Components for Genetically Engineering Biosensors in Plants

Yang Liu¹, Guoliang Yuan^1,2, Md Mahmudul Hassan³

¹Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, USA.

Biodesign Research

|October 18, 2023

Summary

Genetically encoded plant-based biosensors (GEPBs) leverage plant systems for in vivo monitoring. These engineered biosensors offer applications in plant science, environmental monitoring, and bioengineering.

Area of Science:

Plant Science
Synthetic Biology
Biosensor Technology

Background:

Plants possess sophisticated mechanisms to perceive and respond to environmental stimuli due to their sessile nature.
Genetically encoded plant-based biosensors (GEPBs) are engineered systems that harness these natural plant sensing pathways.
GEPBs repurpose plant biological and molecular components for easily detectable outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the framework for engineering various types of GEPBs.
To highlight validated biological components for constructing plant biosensors.
To discuss the diverse applications of GEPBs in plant science and bioengineering.

Main Methods:

Review of existing literature on GEPB development and applications.
Summarization of engineering frameworks for GEPB construction.
Identification and discussion of biological components and their sources (natural or de novo).

Main Results:

GEPBs enable in vivo monitoring of plant biological processes.
Applications span basic plant growth studies, environmental monitoring, and stress management.
Synthetic biology approaches allow integration of non-plant biological components.

Conclusions:

GEPBs are versatile tools for advancing plant science research and applications.
The design and identification of biological components are crucial for GEPB development.
Future strategies should focus on optimizing component selection and engineering for enhanced GEPB functionality.

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