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Updated: May 8, 2026
06:53
In Vivo Monitoring of Transcriptional Activity During Metabolic Transition Using a Bioluminescent Reporter in Yeast
Published on: February 21, 2025
A bacterial-derived quorum-sensing platform enables dynamic metabolic control in yeast
Haotian Zhai1, Xinyue Liu1, Pinzeng Guo1
1State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, PR China.
Trends in Biotechnology
|May 6, 2026
Summary
Researchers engineered a bacterial quorum-sensing (QS) system in yeast. This synthetic biology advance enables better control over microbial production of valuable compounds.
Area of Science:
- Synthetic biology
- Microbial engineering
- Metabolic engineering
Background:
- Optimizing microbial production requires dynamic metabolic pathway regulation.
- Robust quorum-sensing (QS) systems are largely absent in eukaryotic microorganisms, limiting precise control.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish a functional bacterial-derived QS platform in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
- To engineer a synthetic QS circuit for enhanced control over eukaryotic microbial hosts.
Main Methods:
- Repurposed the bacterial RpaI/RpaR QS system, producing p-coumaroyl-homoserine lactone.
- Integrated QS with signal amplification and CRISPR interference for transcriptional control.
- Developed a bifunctional cascade system for autonomous activation and repression.
Main Results:
- Achieved a QS circuit with low leakage, high sensitivity, and broad dynamic range in yeast.
- Demonstrated growth-production decoupling for improved compound synthesis.
- Enhanced production of cordycepin, geraniol, and 3-hydroxypropionic acid.
Conclusions:
- Successfully established a functional bacterial QS system in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
- Expanded the synthetic biology toolkit for eukaryotic hosts.
- Enabled precise control over microbial metabolic pathways for optimized production.
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