Engineering chimeric signaling proteins for microbial whole-cell biosensors: from design to deployment

Area of Science:

• Synthetic biology
• Biotechnology
• Molecular engineering

Background:

• Microbial whole-cell biosensors (MWCBs) offer continuous, low-cost, in situ detection capabilities.
• Modular sensing architectures are key to MWCB versatility and reprogrammability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review engineering strategies for two-component systems (TCSs) and allosteric transcription factors (aTFs) in chimeric MWCBs.
• To identify opportunities and challenges for real-world deployment of engineered MWCBs.

Main Methods:

• Review of recent advances in domain swapping, fusion point selection, and protein engineering for TCS and aTF-based biosensors.
• Analysis of strategies for enhancing specificity and versatility in chimeric biosensor systems.

Main Results:

• TCSs and aTFs provide engineerable frameworks for creating versatile chimeric proteins.
• Advances in protein engineering expand the potential for tailored and multiplexed detection using MWCBs.

Conclusions:

• Engineered MWCBs hold significant promise for applications in diagnostics, environmental monitoring, and biomanufacturing.
• Overcoming current hurdles is crucial for translating chimeric MWCB technology into practical applications.