Electronic control of gene expression and cell behaviour in Escherichia coli through redox signalling

Tanya Tschirhart, Eunkyoung Kim, Ryan McKay, Hana Ueda, Hsuan-Chen Wu, Alex Eli Pottash, Amin Zargar, Alejandro Negrete, Joseph Shiloach, Gregory F. Payne and William E. Bentley ()
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Tanya Tschirhart: Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, University of Maryland
Eunkyoung Kim: Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, University of Maryland
Ryan McKay: Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, University of Maryland
Hana Ueda: Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, University of Maryland
Hsuan-Chen Wu: Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, University of Maryland
Alex Eli Pottash: Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, University of Maryland
Amin Zargar: University of Maryland
Alejandro Negrete: Biotechnology Core Laboratory, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health
Joseph Shiloach: Biotechnology Core Laboratory, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health
Gregory F. Payne: Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, University of Maryland
William E. Bentley: Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, University of Maryland

Nature Communications, 2017, vol. 8, issue 1, 1-11

Abstract: Abstract The ability to interconvert information between electronic and ionic modalities has transformed our ability to record and actuate biological function. Synthetic biology offers the potential to expand communication ‘bandwidth’ by using biomolecules and providing electrochemical access to redox-based cell signals and behaviours. While engineered cells have transmitted molecular information to electronic devices, the potential for bidirectional communication stands largely untapped. Here we present a simple electrogenetic device that uses redox biomolecules to carry electronic information to engineered bacterial cells in order to control transcription from a simple synthetic gene circuit. Electronic actuation of the native transcriptional regulator SoxR and transcription from the PsoxS promoter allows cell response that is quick, reversible and dependent on the amplitude and frequency of the imposed electronic signals. Further, induction of bacterial motility and population based cell-to-cell communication demonstrates the versatility of our approach and potential to drive intricate biological behaviours.

Date: 2017
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:natcom:v:8:y:2017:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms14030

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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms14030

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