Genetically encoded biosensors enabled high-throughput screening of microbial cell factories

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Synthetic Biology
• Microbial Engineering

Background:

• Genetically encoded biosensors link cellular phenotypes to detectable signals, aiding natural and unnatural product detection.
• Biosensors integrated with high-throughput screening (HTS) accelerate microbial cell factory development for compound production.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review essential features of biosensors for HTS.
• To summarize synthetic biology advances in biosensor engineering for HTS.
• To discuss challenges and optimization strategies for biosensor adaptation in HTS.

Main Methods:

• Review of current literature on genetically encoded biosensors for HTS.
• Analysis of synthetic biology techniques for biosensor performance enhancement.
• Discussion of optimization strategies for biosensor application in diverse HTS workflows.

Main Results:

• Biosensor characteristics significantly impact HTS efficiency and can be engineered.
• Synthetic biology offers advanced strategies for biosensor development and optimization.
• Addressing challenges like false positives is key for successful biosensor-driven HTS.

Conclusions:

• Genetically encoded biosensors are vital tools for engineering microbial cell factories via HTS.
• Continued engineering and optimization are necessary for adapting biosensors to specific HTS processes.
• Future research should focus on overcoming current limitations and expanding biosensor applications in HTS.