Redox active plant phenolic, acetosyringone, for electrogenetic signaling

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Synthetic Biology
• Electrochemistry

Background:

• Redox signaling is a key biological process that can be harnessed for electronic control.
• The E. coli OxyRS regulon responds to redox signals, including electrochemically generated hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂).

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if the plant signaling molecule acetosyringone (AS) can induce gene expression via the OxyRS regulon.
• To explore the electrochemical activation of AS as a pro-signaling molecule for biological control.

Main Methods:

• Utilized electrochemical methods to apply varying potentials to E. coli cultures expressing the OxyRS regulon.
• Introduced acetosyringone (AS) and monitored gene expression induction under different electrochemical conditions.

Main Results:

• Acetosyringone (AS) induces OxyRS gene expression only when oxidized, acting as a pro-signaling molecule.
• Electrochemical potentials at oxidative or reductive extremes, but not mid-physiological ranges, induced the OxyRS regulon via H₂O₂ or AS oxidation.
• Demonstrated that redox signaling is dependent on molecular activity rather than just structure.

Conclusions:

• Electronically controlled oxidation of acetosyringone provides a novel method for programming gene expression in microbes.
• This advancement expands the possibilities for electronic-bacterial communication and applications in biomanufacturing and cell-based materials.