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Microbial Biosensors

Microbial Biosensors

Microbial biosensors are analytical devices that utilize living microbes to detect specific substances through measurable signals. These devices consist of two main components: biosensing organisms and signal-transducing elements. Biosensing organisms, such as Escherichia coli or Saccharomyces cerevisiae, are typically housed in multiwell plates connected to transducers, enabling rapid, real-time detection of target analytes.Signal Generation MechanismWhen a target analyte—such as...

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Updated: May 6, 2026

FRET Microscopy for Real-time Monitoring of Signaling Events in Live Cells Using Unimolecular Biosensors

FRET Microscopy for Real-time Monitoring of Signaling Events in Live Cells Using Unimolecular Biosensors

Published on: August 20, 2012

Bright Single-Cell Fluorescent Reporter Enables Ultrasensitive Target Detection for Microbial Cell-Based Biosensors.

Faying Zhang^1,2, Xuting Sun¹, Hui Zheng³

¹State Key Laboratory of Green Biomanufacturing, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China.

|March 10, 2026

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers developed an ultrasensitive fluorescent protein (FP) reporter, NGFP4, using N-terminal peptide fusion. This enhances whole-cell biosensor (WCB) sensitivity and speed for detecting pollutants and toxins.

Keywords:

N-terminal decapeptide NGFP4 reporter fluorescent protein whole-cell biosensor

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Published on: November 16, 2016

Area of Science:

Synthetic Biology
Biotechnology
Analytical Chemistry

Background:

Whole-cell biosensors (WCBs) are crucial for detecting trace analytes but are often limited by reporter gene sensitivity.
Fluorescent proteins (FPs) are common reporters but generally show lower sensitivity and slower response than enzymatic reporters.
Existing FP reporters can limit the practical application and field deployment of WCBs due to sensitivity and speed constraints.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop an ultrasensitive fluorescent protein reporter for enhanced whole-cell biosensor performance.
To improve reporter gene characteristics including expression speed and intracellular stability.
To enable faster and more sensitive detection of analytes using microbial cell-based biosensors.

Main Methods:

Engineered an NGFP4 variant by fusing an N-terminal decapeptide to a superfolder green fluorescent protein (sfGFP).
Validated NGFP4's reporter characteristics in four microbial hosts: E. coli, Bacillus subtilis, Pichia pastoris, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
Integrated NGFP4 into whole-cell biosensors for detecting salicylic acid and 2-chlorobiphenyl.

Main Results:

NGFP4 demonstrated significantly enhanced single-cell fluorescence intensity, ranging from 6.4- to 28-fold across different microbial hosts.
The reporter exhibited rapid expression and robust intracellular stability, improving upon standard sfGFP.
WCBs utilizing NGFP4 achieved rapid detection times of 1 hour for salicylic acid (LOD 0.36 μM) and 2-chlorobiphenyl (LOD 18.2 μM).

Conclusions:

The NGFP4 reporter provides a cross-species compatible solution for ultrasensitive detection in microbial biosensors.
This engineered FP reporter overcomes limitations of traditional reporters, enabling faster and more sensitive analyte detection.
The developed reporter facilitates field deployment of WCBs with minimal genetic modification and reduced detection times.