Engineering and Application of Biosensors for Aromatic Compounds Production in Escherichia coli

Aromatic compounds have diverse applications, including flavors, dyes, neurotransmitters, and therapeutics. The microbial fermentation of aromatic compounds from inexpensive substrates is a common strategy; however, optimizing fermentation parameters to enable industrial-scale production remains a major challenge. Biosensors, with their ability to finely tune the expression of endogenous or heterologous pathway enzymes without impeding cell growth, can balance metabolic fluxes and direct them optimally for the synthesis of target products. Thus, biosensor-based strain engineering and screening constitute an intelligent strategy. This article comprehensively summarizes the development and application of aromatic compound biosensors in E. coli. Initially, biosensors for aromatic compounds and their working principles of various types of biosensors are reviewed. Subsequently, the latest advancements in these biosensors for engineering microbial cell factories of high-value aromatic compounds are summarized. Finally, the challenges and prospects for constructing robust and sophisticated biosensors for aromatic compounds are discussed. This review can be a valuable reference for constructing diverse biosensors to develop desirable microbial cell factories of aromatic compounds.