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Liu MQ, Guo Y, Wu C, Gao CX, Liu F, Hui CY. Visual arsenic detection in environmental waters: Innovating with a naked-eye biosensor for universal application. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2024; 477:135398. [PMID: 39096639 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.135398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2024] [Revised: 07/27/2024] [Accepted: 07/31/2024] [Indexed: 08/05/2024]
Abstract
Arsenic contamination in environmental water sources poses a significant threat to human health, necessitating the development of sensitive and accessible detection methods. This study presents a multidimensional optimization of a bacterial biosensor for the susceptible and deoxyviolacein (DV)-based visual detection of arsenic. The research involved screening six different arsenic resistance (ars) operons and optimizing the genetic circuit to minimize background noise. Introducing an arsenic-specific transport channel enhanced the sensor's sensitivity to 1 nM with a quantitative range from 0.036 to 1.171 μM. The pigment-based biosensor offers a simple colorimetric approach for arsenic detection without complex instrumentation. The preferred biosensor demonstrated characteristics of anti-chelating agent interference, consistently quantified As(III) concentrations ranging from 0.036 to 1.171 μM covering the World Health Organization (WHO) drinking water limit. Innovatively, it effectively detects arsenic in seawater within a linear regression range of 0.071 to 1.125 μM. The biosensor's selectivity for arsenic was confirmed, with minimal cross-response to group 15 metals. Our naked-eye biosensor offers a novel approach for the rapid, on-site detection of arsenic in various water sources. Its simplicity, cost-effectiveness, and versatility make it a valuable tool for environmental monitoring and public health initiatives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming-Qi Liu
- School of Public Health, Guangdong Medical University, Dongguan 523808, China
| | - Yan Guo
- Shenzhen Prevention and Treatment Center for Occupational Diseases, 2019 Buxin Road, Shenzhen 518020, China
| | - Can Wu
- Department of Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Chao-Xian Gao
- Shenzhen Prevention and Treatment Center for Occupational Diseases, 2019 Buxin Road, Shenzhen 518020, China
| | - Fen Liu
- Shenzhen Prevention and Treatment Center for Occupational Diseases, 2019 Buxin Road, Shenzhen 518020, China
| | - Chang-Ye Hui
- Shenzhen Prevention and Treatment Center for Occupational Diseases, 2019 Buxin Road, Shenzhen 518020, China.
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Guo M, Chen S, Su H, Chen X, Liu H, Sun B. High-throughput visualization mutation screening technology to enhance the specificity of CadR based whole-cell cadmium biosensor. Biosens Bioelectron 2024; 256:116266. [PMID: 38636122 DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2024.116266] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2024] [Revised: 03/27/2024] [Accepted: 04/01/2024] [Indexed: 04/20/2024]
Abstract
As a heavy metal pollutant, Cd2+ often enters the human body through the food chain causing great harm to human health. Whole-cell biosensor is an emerging technology for rapid on-site detection of heavy metals with the advantages of inexpensive, fast to mass-produce, and strong in anti-interference resistance, but suffering from insatisfactory specificity. In this study, a strategy of Adjacent Site Saturation Mutation (ASSM) was designed to improve the specificity of transcription factor CadR, which acted as the recognition element and determined the specificity of whole cell Cd2+ biosensors. A specific saturated library was constructed using the strategy of adjacent mutation. After two rounds of high-throughput visual screening, a whole-cell biosensor with good response to Cd2+, and with significant weakened Hg2+ interference was obtained. The optimized whole-cell biosensor showed a linear dynamic concentration range from 500 nM to 100 μM, a detection limit of 0.079 μM, and has satisfactory specificity and anti-interference. The ASSM strategy proposed in this study can provide a new method for the application of synthetic biology in food safety detection, indicating the importance of whole-cell biosensors for the detection of heavy metals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingzhang Guo
- Key Laboratory of Geriatric Nutrition and Health (Beijing Technology and Business University), Ministry of Education, Beijing, 100048, China.
| | - Shijing Chen
- Key Laboratory of Geriatric Nutrition and Health (Beijing Technology and Business University), Ministry of Education, Beijing, 100048, China
| | - Hongfei Su
- Key Laboratory of Geriatric Nutrition and Health (Beijing Technology and Business University), Ministry of Education, Beijing, 100048, China
| | - Xiaolin Chen
- Key Laboratory of Geriatric Nutrition and Health (Beijing Technology and Business University), Ministry of Education, Beijing, 100048, China
| | - Huilin Liu
- Key Laboratory of Geriatric Nutrition and Health (Beijing Technology and Business University), Ministry of Education, Beijing, 100048, China.
| | - Baoguo Sun
- Key Laboratory of Geriatric Nutrition and Health (Beijing Technology and Business University), Ministry of Education, Beijing, 100048, China
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Zhang J, Guo Y, Lin YR, Ma BC, Ge XR, Zhang WQ, Zhang NX, Yang SM, Hui CY. Detection of Cadmium in Human Biospecimens by a Cadmium-Selective Whole-Cell Biosensor Based on Deoxyviolacein. ACS Biomater Sci Eng 2024; 10:4046-4058. [PMID: 38722544 DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.3c01814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2024]
Abstract
Cadmium poses a severe health risk, impacting various bodily systems. Monitoring human exposure is vital. Urine and blood cadmium serve as critical biomarkers. However, current urine and blood cadmium detection methods are expensive and complex. Being cost-effective, user-friendly, and efficient, visual biosensing offers a promising complement to existing techniques. Therefore, we constructed a cadmium whole-cell biosensor using CadR10 and deoxyviolacein pigment in this study. We assessed the sensor for time-dose response, specific response to cadmium, sensitivity response to cadmium, and stability response to cadmium. The results showed that (1) the sensor had a preferred signal-to-noise ratio when the incubation time was 4 h; (2) the sensor showed excellent specificity for cadmium compared to the group 12 metals and lead; (3) the sensor was responsive to cadmium down to 1.53 nM under experimental conditions and had good linearity over a wide range from 1.53 nM to 100 μM with good linearity (R2 = 0.979); and (4) the sensor had good stability. Based on the excellent results of the performance tests, we developed a cost-effective, high-throughput method for detecting urinary and blood cadmium. Specifically, this was realized by adding the blood or urine samples into the culture system in a particular proportion. Then, the whole-cell biosensor was subjected to culture, n-butanol extraction, and microplate reading. The results showed that (1) at 20% urine addition ratio, the sensor had an excellent curvilinear relationship (R2 = 0.986) in the range of 3.05 nM to 100 μM, and the detection limit could reach 3.05 nM. (2) At a 10% blood addition ratio, the sensor had an excellent nonlinear relationship (R2 = 0.978) in the range of 0.097-50 μM, and the detection limit reached 0.195 μM. Overall, we developed a sensitive and wide-range method based on a whole-cell biosensor for the detection of cadmium in blood and urine, which has the advantages of being cost-effective, ease of operation, fast response, and low dependence on instrumentation and has the potential to be applied in the monitoring of cadmium exposure in humans as a complementary to the mainstream detection techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Zhang
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, Jilin, China
| | - Yan Guo
- Shenzhen Prevention and Treatment Center for Occupational Diseases, 2019 Buxin Road, Shenzhen 518020, China
| | - Yi-Ran Lin
- Shenzhen Prevention and Treatment Center for Occupational Diseases, 2019 Buxin Road, Shenzhen 518020, China
| | - Bing-Chan Ma
- School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 13 Hangkong Road, Wuhan 430030, China
| | - Xue-Ru Ge
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, Jilin, China
| | - Wen-Qi Zhang
- Shenzhen Prevention and Treatment Center for Occupational Diseases, 2019 Buxin Road, Shenzhen 518020, China
| | - Nai-Xing Zhang
- Shenzhen Prevention and Treatment Center for Occupational Diseases, 2019 Buxin Road, Shenzhen 518020, China
| | - Shu-Man Yang
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, Jilin, China
| | - Chang-Ye Hui
- Shenzhen Prevention and Treatment Center for Occupational Diseases, 2019 Buxin Road, Shenzhen 518020, China
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Peng K, Sha J, Fang X, Li M, Yu J, Hao L, Xu F. Detection of Cadmium(II) in Aquatic Products Using a Rolling-Circle Amplification-Coupled Ratio Fluorescent Probe Based on an Aptamer-Peptide Conjugate. JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY 2024; 72:8167-8179. [PMID: 38509823 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.3c08636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/22/2024]
Abstract
The existing aptamers for cadmium (Cd2+), the common toxic heavy metal contaminant in food, cannot meet the requirements for detecting Cd2+ in rapid detection methods. In previous work, we found that coupling aptamer-peptide conjugates (APCs) with peptides and aptamers can provide a less disruptive method with a significantly improved affinity. Moreover, we found that the spatial conformation of aptamers and peptides is crucial for obtaining proper affinity in APC. Therefore, we describe a simple design strategy to obtain a series of APCs with different affinities by designing peptide orientations (N-terminal, C-terminal). The best affinity was found for APC(C1-N) with a binding constant (Ka) of 2.23 × 106 M-1, indicating that the APC(C1-N) affinity was significantly increased by 829.17% over aptamer. Finally, a rolling-circle amplification (RCA)-coupled ratio fluorescence-based biosensor for Cd2+ detection was established with a detection limit of 0.0036 nM, which has great potential for practical aquatic product detection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaimin Peng
- School of Health Science and Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Food Rapid Detection, Shanghai 200093, China
| | - Jiahao Sha
- School of Health Science and Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Food Rapid Detection, Shanghai 200093, China
| | - Xinyu Fang
- School of Health Science and Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Food Rapid Detection, Shanghai 200093, China
| | - Mengqiu Li
- School of Health Science and Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Food Rapid Detection, Shanghai 200093, China
| | - Jingsong Yu
- School of Health Science and Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Food Rapid Detection, Shanghai 200093, China
| | - Liling Hao
- School of Health Science and Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Food Rapid Detection, Shanghai 200093, China
| | - Fei Xu
- School of Health Science and Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Food Rapid Detection, Shanghai 200093, China
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Shen L, Chen Y, Hu L, Zhang C, Liu L, Bao L, Ma J, Wang H, Xiao X, Wu L, Chen S. Development of a Highly Sensitive, Visual Platform for the Detection of Cadmium in Actual Wastewater Based on Evolved Whole-Cell Biosensors. ACS Sens 2024; 9:654-661. [PMID: 38329934 DOI: 10.1021/acssensors.3c01811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/10/2024]
Abstract
A whole-cell biosensor (WCB) is a convenient and cost-effective method for detecting contaminants. However, the practical application of the cadmium WCBs has been hampered by performance deficiencies, such as low sensitivity, specificity, and responsive strength. In this study, to improve the performance of cadmium WCBs, the cadmium transcription factor (CadC) and its DNA binding site (CadO), the key sensing module of the biosensor, were successively and separately subjected to a two-step directed evolution: 6-round random mutagenesis for CadC and 2-round saturation mutagenesis for CadO. For practical application, the GFP reporter gene was replaced with the lacZ gene and a facile and rapid smartphone detection platform for actual water samples was established by optimizing the reaction systems with detergents. The results showed that the evolved cadmium fluorescent biosensor CadO66 exhibited a higher specificity and a detection limit of 0.034 μg/L, representing a 19-fold reduction compared to the wild-type cadmium biosensor. The detergent sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate effectively enhanced the visualization of WCB B0033-lacZ. Using the fluorescent WCB CadO66 and the visual WCB B0033-lacZ to analyze the cadmium contents of the actual water samples, the results were also consistent with a graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometer. Taken together, this study indicates that the two-step directed evolution of CadC and CadO can efficiently improve the performance of cadmium WCBs, further promoting the utilization of WCB in actual sample detection and presenting a promising and feasible method for rapid sample detection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liang Shen
- Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031, China
- University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Yiwen Chen
- Wannan Medical College, Wuhu 241002, China
| | - Liangwen Hu
- Wuhu Agricultural Products and Food Testing Center Co. Ltd., Wuhu 241000, China
| | | | | | | | - Jie Ma
- Wannan Medical College, Wuhu 241002, China
| | - Hongqiang Wang
- Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031, China
- University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Xiang Xiao
- Information Materials and Intelligent Sensing Laboratory of Anhui Province, Institutes of Physical Science and Information Technology, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, China
| | - Lijun Wu
- Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031, China
- University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
- Information Materials and Intelligent Sensing Laboratory of Anhui Province, Institutes of Physical Science and Information Technology, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, China
| | - Shaopeng Chen
- Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031, China
- University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
- Wannan Medical College, Wuhu 241002, China
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Hui CY, Ma BC, Hu SY, Wu C. Tailored bacteria tackling with environmental mercury: Inspired by natural mercuric detoxification operons. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2024; 341:123016. [PMID: 38008253 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.123016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Revised: 10/30/2023] [Accepted: 11/19/2023] [Indexed: 11/28/2023]
Abstract
Mercury (Hg) and its inorganic and organic compounds significantly threaten the ecosystem and human health. However, the natural and anthropogenic Hg environmental inputs exceed 5000 metric tons annually. Hg is usually discharged in elemental or ionic forms, accumulating in surface water and sediments where Hg-methylating microbes-mediated biotransformation occurs. Microbial genetic factors such as the mer operon play a significant role in the complex Hg biogeochemical cycle. Previous reviews summarize the fate of environmental Hg, its biogeochemistry, and the mechanism of bacterial Hg resistance. This review mainly focuses on the mer operon and its components in detecting, absorbing, bioaccumulating, and detoxifying environmental Hg. Four components of the mer operon, including the MerR regulator, divergent mer promoter, and detoxification factors MerA and MerB, are rare bio-parts for assembling synthetic bacteria, which tackle pollutant Hg. Bacteria are designed to integrate synthetic biology, protein engineering, and metabolic engineering. In summary, this review highlights that designed bacteria based on the mer operon can potentially sense and bioremediate pollutant Hg in a green and low-cost manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chang-Ye Hui
- Shenzhen Prevention and Treatment Center for Occupational Diseases, 2019 Buxin Road, Shenzhen, 518020, China.
| | - Bing-Chan Ma
- Shenzhen Prevention and Treatment Center for Occupational Diseases, 2019 Buxin Road, Shenzhen, 518020, China; School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 13 Hangkong Road, Wuhan, 430030, China
| | - Shun-Yu Hu
- Shenzhen Prevention and Treatment Center for Occupational Diseases, 2019 Buxin Road, Shenzhen, 518020, China; Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China
| | - Can Wu
- Shenzhen Prevention and Treatment Center for Occupational Diseases, 2019 Buxin Road, Shenzhen, 518020, China; Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China
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Hui CY, Ma BC, Wang YQ, Yang XQ, Cai JM. Designed bacteria based on natural pbr operons for detecting and detoxifying environmental lead: A mini-review. ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 2023; 267:115662. [PMID: 37939554 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2023.115662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2023] [Revised: 10/31/2023] [Accepted: 11/02/2023] [Indexed: 11/10/2023]
Abstract
Lead (Pb), a naturally occurring element, is redistributed in the environment mainly due to anthropogenic activities. Pb pollution is a crucial public health problem worldwide due to its adverse effects. Environmental bacteria have evolved various protective mechanisms against high levels of Pb. The pbr operon, first identified in Cupriavidus metallidurans CH34, encodes a unique Pb(II) resistance mechanism involving transport, efflux, sequestration, biomineralization, and precipitation. Similar pbr operons are gradually found in diverse bacterial strains. This review focuses on the pbr-encoded Pb(II) resistance system. It summarizes various whole-cell biosensors harboring artificially designed pbr operons for Pb(II) biomonitoring with fluorescent, luminescent, and colorimetric signal output. Optimization of genetic circuits, employment of pigment-based reporters, and screening of host cells are promising in improving the sensitivity, selectivity, and response range of whole-cell biosensors. Engineered bacteria displaying Pb(II) binding and sequestration proteins, including PbrR and its derivatives, PbrR2 and PbrD, for adsorption are involved. Although synthetic bacteria show great potential in determining and removing Pb at the nanomolar level for environmental protection and food safety, some challenges must be addressed to meet demanding application requirements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chang-Ye Hui
- Shenzhen Prevention and Treatment Center for Occupational Diseases, 2019 Buxin Road, Shenzhen 518020, China.
| | - Bing-Chan Ma
- Shenzhen Prevention and Treatment Center for Occupational Diseases, 2019 Buxin Road, Shenzhen 518020, China; School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 13 Hangkong Road, Wuhan 430030, China
| | - Yong-Qiang Wang
- Shenzhen Prevention and Treatment Center for Occupational Diseases, 2019 Buxin Road, Shenzhen 518020, China
| | - Xue-Qin Yang
- Shenzhen Prevention and Treatment Center for Occupational Diseases, 2019 Buxin Road, Shenzhen 518020, China
| | - Jin-Min Cai
- Shenzhen Prevention and Treatment Center for Occupational Diseases, 2019 Buxin Road, Shenzhen 518020, China
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Lin PH, Tsai ST, Chang YC, Chou YJ, Yeh YC. Harnessing split fluorescent proteins in modular protein logic for advanced whole-cell detection. Anal Chim Acta 2023; 1275:341593. [PMID: 37524469 DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2023.341593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2023] [Accepted: 07/05/2023] [Indexed: 08/02/2023]
Abstract
Whole-cell biosensors have demonstrated promising capabilities in detecting target molecules. However, their limited selectivity and precision can be attributed to the broad substrate tolerance of natural proteins. In this study, we aim to enhance the performance of whole-cell biosensors by incorporating of logic AND gates. Specifically, we utilize the HrpR/S system, a widely employed hetero-regulation module from Pseudomonas syringae in synthetic biology, to construct an orthogonal AND gate in Escherichia coli. To accomplish this, we compare the HrpR/S system with self-associating split fluorescent proteins using the Spy Tag/Spy Catcher system. Our objective is to selectively activate a reporter gene in the presence of both IPTG and Hg(II) ions. Through systematic genetic engineering and evaluation of various biological parts under diverse working conditions, our research demonstrates the utility of self-associating split fluorescent proteins in developing high-performance whole-cell biosensors. This approach offers advantages such as engineering simplicity, reduced basal activity, and improved selectivity. Furthermore, the comparison with the HrpR/S system serves as a valuable control model, providing insights into the relative advantages and limitations of each approach. These findings present a systematic and adaptable strategy to overcome the substrate tolerance challenge faced by whole-cell biosensors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ping-Heng Lin
- Department of Chemistry, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, 116, Taiwan
| | - Ssu-Tzu Tsai
- Department of Chemistry, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, 116, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Chia Chang
- Department of Chemistry, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, 116, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Ju Chou
- Institute of Applied Mechanics, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 106, Taiwan.
| | - Yi-Chun Yeh
- Department of Chemistry, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, 116, Taiwan.
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Bayer T, Hänel L, Husarcikova J, Kunzendorf A, Bornscheuer UT. In Vivo Detection of Low Molecular Weight Platform Chemicals and Environmental Contaminants by Genetically Encoded Biosensors. ACS OMEGA 2023; 8:23227-23239. [PMID: 37426270 PMCID: PMC10324065 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.3c01741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2023] [Accepted: 06/08/2023] [Indexed: 07/11/2023]
Abstract
Genetically encoded biosensor systems operating in living cells are versatile, cheap, and transferable tools for the detection and quantification of a broad range of small molecules. This review presents state-of-the-art biosensor designs and assemblies, featuring transcription factor-, riboswitch-, and enzyme-coupled devices, highly engineered fluorescent probes, and emerging two-component systems. Importantly, (bioinformatic-assisted) strategies to resolve contextual issues, which cause biosensors to miss performance criteria in vivo, are highlighted. The optimized biosensing circuits can be used to monitor chemicals of low molecular mass (<200 g mol-1) and physicochemical properties that challenge conventional chromatographical methods with high sensitivity. Examples herein include but are not limited to formaldehyde, formate, and pyruvate as immediate products from (synthetic) pathways for the fixation of carbon dioxide (CO2), industrially important derivatives like small- and medium-chain fatty acids and biofuels, as well as environmental toxins such as heavy metals or reactive oxygen and nitrogen species. Lastly, this review showcases biosensors capable of assessing the biosynthesis of platform chemicals from renewable resources, the enzymatic degradation of plastic waste, or the bioadsorption of highly toxic chemicals from the environment. These applications offer new biosensor-based manufacturing, recycling, and remediation strategies to tackle current and future environmental and socioeconomic challenges including the wastage of fossil fuels, the emission of greenhouse gases like CO2, and the pollution imposed on ecosystems and human health.
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Ma Z, Li Y, Lu C, Li M. On-site screening method for bioavailability assessment of the organophosphorus pesticide, methyl parathion, and its primary metabolite in soils by paper strip biosensor. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2023; 457:131725. [PMID: 37295330 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.131725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2023] [Revised: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 05/26/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
An important public concern worldwide is soil pollution caused by organophosphorus pesticides and their primary metabolites. To protect the public's health, screening these pollutants on-site and determining their soil bioavailability is important, but doing so is still challenging. This work improved the already-existing organophosphorus pesticide hydrolase (mpd) and transcriptional activator (pobR), and it first designed and constructed a novel biosensor (Escherichia coli BL21/pNP-LacZ) that can precisely detect methyl parathion (MP) and its primary metabolite p-nitrophenol with low background value. To create a paper strip biosensor, E. coli BL21/pNP-LacZ was fixed to filter paper using bio-gel alginate and sensitizer polymyxin B. According to the calibrations of the paper strip biosensor for soil extracts and standard curve, the color intensity of the paper strip biosensor collected by the mobile app may be used to compute the concentration of MP and p-nitrophenol. This method's detection limits were 5.41 µg/kg for p-nitrophenol and 9.57 µg/kg for MP. The detection of p-nitrophenol and MP in laboratory and field soil samples confirmed this procedure. Paper strip biosensor on-site allows for the semi-quantitative measurement of p-nitrophenol and MP levels in soils in a simple, inexpensive, and portable method.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhao Ma
- Archaeal Biology Center, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, PR China; Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Microbiome Engineering, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, PR China
| | - Yuanbo Li
- State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, PR China.
| | - Chao Lu
- Institute of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Saline-Alkali Soil Improvement and Utilization (Coastal Saline-Alkali lands), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Nanjing 210014, China
| | - Meng Li
- Archaeal Biology Center, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, PR China; Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Microbiome Engineering, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, PR China.
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11
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Hu S, Zhang G, Jia X. Improvement of a highly sensitive and specific whole-cell biosensor by adding a positive feedback amplifier. Synth Syst Biotechnol 2023; 8:292-299. [PMID: 37090062 PMCID: PMC10113786 DOI: 10.1016/j.synbio.2023.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2022] [Revised: 03/16/2023] [Accepted: 03/21/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
In this study, we designed a Cd2+ whole-cell biosensor with both positive and negative feedback cascade amplifiers in Pseudomonas putida KT2440 (LTCM) based on our previous design with only a negative feedback amplifier (TCM). The results showed that the newly developed biosensor LTCM was greatly improved compared to TCM. Firstly, the linear response range of LTCM was expanded while the maximum linear response range was raised from 0.05 to 0.1 μM. Meanwhile, adding a positive feedback amplifier further increased the fluorescence output signal of LTCM 1.11-2.64 times under the same culture conditions. Moreover, the response time of LTCM for detection of practical samples was reduced from 6 to 4 h. At the same time, LTCM still retained very high sensitivity and specificity, while its lowest detection limit was 0.1 nM Cd2+ and the specificity was 23.29 (compared to 0.1 nM and 17.55 in TCM, respectively). In summary, the positive and negative feedback cascade amplifiers effectively improved the performance of the biosensor LTCM, resulting in a greater linear response range, higher output signal intensity, and shorter response time than TCM while retaining comparable sensitivity and specificity, indicating better potential for practical applications.
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Li J, Cui M, Zhao J, Wang J, Fang X. A self-amplifying plasmid based ultrasensitive biosensor for the detection of As(Ⅲ) in water. Biosens Bioelectron 2022; 221:114937. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2022.114937] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2022] [Revised: 11/16/2022] [Accepted: 11/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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13
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Sailor MJ. The Future of Engineered Living Sensors ─ I Hope It Is Not the Thing with Feathers. ACS Sens 2022; 7:2795-2796. [DOI: 10.1021/acssensors.2c02178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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14
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Al-Qasmi N, Al-Gethami W, Alhashmialameer D, Ismail SH, Sadek AH. Evaluation of Green-Synthesized Cuprospinel Nanoparticles as a Nanosensor for Detection of Low-Concentration Cd(II) Ion in the Aqueous Solutions by the Quartz Crystal Microbalance Method. MATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 15:6240. [PMID: 36143550 PMCID: PMC9502900 DOI: 10.3390/ma15186240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2022] [Revised: 08/26/2022] [Accepted: 09/01/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Cd(II) heavy metal is an extremely dangerous hazardous material for both humans and the environment. Its high toxicity is the reason behind the examination of new techniques for detecting very small concentrations of Cd(II). Recently, Quartz Crystal Microbalance (QCM) has been one of the techniques that have been widely used to detect trace heavy metal ions in solutions. It is a simple, inexpensive, portable, and sensitive gravimetric sensor due to its quality sensitivity lowest to nanograms. In this work, Cuprospinel nanoparticles were synthesized through the green synthesis approach using Psidium guajava L. leaf extract as a reducing agent, which is the first scientific description to report the preparation of these nanoparticles by this method. Subsequently, the synthesized nanoparticles were subjected to the characterization of their crystallinity, structure, and morphology by the XRD, N2 adsorption-desorption, zeta potential, DLS, AFM, SEM, and TEM analyzers. The prepared Cuprospinel nanoparticles were evaluated as a nanosensor for the detection of the very low concentration of Cd(II) ions in aqueous solutions using the QCM technique. The results of the characterization proved that the Cuprospinel nanoparticles have formed in the nanoscale with sub-spherical shapes and particles size ranging from 20 to 80 nm. The BET surface area and pore size analysis revealed that the synthesized Cuprospinel nanoparticles possess a surface area of 47.3 m2/g, an average pore size of 1.5 nm, and a micropore volume of 0.064 cc/g. The QCM results demonstrated the success of the Cuprospinel nanoparticles sensor in detecting the tiny amounts of Cd(II) ions in the aqueous solutions with concentrations reaching about 3.6 ng/L.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noha Al-Qasmi
- Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Taif University, Al-Hawiah, Taif City P.O. Box 11099, Saudi Arabia
| | - Wafa Al-Gethami
- Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Taif University, Al-Hawiah, Taif City P.O. Box 11099, Saudi Arabia
| | - Dalal Alhashmialameer
- Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Taif University, Al-Hawiah, Taif City P.O. Box 11099, Saudi Arabia
| | - Sameh H. Ismail
- Faculty of Nanotechnology for Postgraduate Studies, Sheikh Zayed Campus, Cairo University, 6th October City, Giza 12588, Egypt
| | - Ahmed H. Sadek
- Faculty of Nanotechnology for Postgraduate Studies, Sheikh Zayed Campus, Cairo University, 6th October City, Giza 12588, Egypt
- Zewail City of Science, Technology and Innovation, 6th October City, Giza 12578, Egypt
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15
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Pham HL, Ling H, Chang MW. Design and fabrication of field-deployable microbial biosensing devices. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2022; 76:102731. [DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2022.102731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2021] [Revised: 03/17/2022] [Accepted: 04/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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16
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Enriching intracellular macrolides in Escherichia coli improved the sensitivity of bioluminescent sensing systems. Talanta 2022; 249:123626. [PMID: 35696977 DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2022.123626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2022] [Revised: 05/25/2022] [Accepted: 05/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
A repressor protein MphR and an enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) were used to construct a bioluminescent sensing system for macrolide analysis in Escherichia coli host cells. We deleted TolC, an efflux pump for macrolides in E. coli, to promote the intracellular accumulation of macrolides. The binding constant (K1/2) of the sensing system constructed in an E. coli strain was decreased up to 33-fold with deleted TolC, and its sensitivity to the macrolides erythromycin, azithromycin, roxithromycin, and pikromycin was increased. The limit of detection of the bioluminescent sensing system for serum azithromycin was 4.1 nM. The ability to detect serum azithromycin concentrations was confirmed by analyzing photographs using ImageJ software. We also developed a novel sensing system for the immune suppressor FK506, another macrolide that is frequently prescribed. Deleting TolC also significantly improved the sensitivity of this sensing system. Bioluminescent sensing systems constructed in TolC mutants were sensitive to various macrolides, indicating their potential for clinical application with hand-held devices.
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17
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Liu Y, Zhou B, Wang W, Shen J, Kou W, Li Z, Zhang D, Guo L, Lau C, Lu J. Insertable, Scabbarded, and Nanoetched Silver Needle Sensor for Hazardous Element Depth Profiling by Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy. ACS Sens 2022; 7:1381-1389. [PMID: 35584047 DOI: 10.1021/acssensors.2c00017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Sensing of hazardous metals is urgent in many areas (e.g., water pollution and meat products) as heavy metals threaten people's health. Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), as a rapid, in situ, and multielemental analytical technique, has been widely utilized in rapid hazardous heavy metal sensing. However, loose and water-containing samples (e.g., meat, plant, and soil) are hard to analyze by LIBS directly, and heavy metal depth profiling for bulk samples remains suspenseful. Here, inspired by the Needle, the sword of Arya Stark in Game of Thrones, we propose an insertable, scabbarded, and nanoetched silver (NE-Ag) needle sensor for rapid hazardous element sensing and depth profiling. The NE-Ag needle sensor features a micro-nanostructure surface for inserting into the bulk sample and absorbing hazardous analytes. For accurate elemental depth profiling, we design a stainless-steel scabbard to wrap and protect the NE-Ag needle from pollution (unexpected contaminant absorption) during the needle insertion and extraction process. The results for cadmium (Cd) show that the relative standard deviation equals to 6.7% and the limit of detection reaches 0.8 mg/L (ppm). Furthermore, the correlations (Pearson correlation coefficient) for Cd and chromium (Cr) depth profiling results are no less than 0.96. Furthermore, the total testing time could be less than 1 h. All in all, the insertable and scabbarded NE-Ag needle senor has high potential in rapid hazardous heavy metal depth profiling in different industries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuanchao Liu
- Department of Physics, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China
| | - Binbin Zhou
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China
- Hong Kong Branch of National Precious Metals Material Engineering Research Centre, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China
- Centre for Advanced Structural Materials, Greater Bay Joint Division, Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen 518057, China
| | - Weiliang Wang
- Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics (WNLO), Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Junda Shen
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China
- Hong Kong Branch of National Precious Metals Material Engineering Research Centre, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China
| | - Weiping Kou
- Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics (WNLO), Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Zebiao Li
- Hong Kong Branch of National Precious Metals Material Engineering Research Centre, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China
- Centre for Advanced Structural Materials, Greater Bay Joint Division, Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen 518057, China
- CityU-Shenzhen Futian Research Institute, Shenzhen 518045, China
| | - Deng Zhang
- Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics (WNLO), Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Lianbo Guo
- Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics (WNLO), Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Condon Lau
- Department of Physics, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China
| | - Jian Lu
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China
- Hong Kong Branch of National Precious Metals Material Engineering Research Centre, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China
- Centre for Advanced Structural Materials, Greater Bay Joint Division, Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen 518057, China
- CityU-Shenzhen Futian Research Institute, Shenzhen 518045, China
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18
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Chen SY, Zhang Y, Li R, Wang B, Ye BC. De Novo Design of the ArsR Regulated P ars Promoter Enables a Highly Sensitive Whole-Cell Biosensor for Arsenic Contamination. Anal Chem 2022; 94:7210-7218. [PMID: 35537205 PMCID: PMC9134189 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.2c00055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Whole-cell biosensors for arsenic contamination are typically designed based on natural bacterial sensing systems, which are often limited by their poor performance for precisely tuning the genetic response to environmental stimuli. Promoter design remains one of the most important approaches to address such issues. Here, we use the arsenic-responsive ArsR-Pars regulation system from Escherichia coli MG1655 as the sensing element and coupled gfp or lacZ as the reporter gene to construct the genetic circuit for characterizing the refactored promoters. We first analyzed the ArsR binding site and a library of RNA polymerase binding sites to mine potential promoter sequences. A set of tightly regulated Pars promoters by ArsR was designed by placing the ArsR binding sites into the promoter's core region, and a novel promoter with maximal repression efficiency and optimal fold change was obtained. The fluorescence sensor PlacV-ParsOC2 constructed with the optimized ParsOC2 promoter showed a fold change of up to 63.80-fold (with green fluorescence visible to the naked eye) at 9.38 ppb arsenic, and the limit of detection was as low as 0.24 ppb. Further, the optimized colorimetric sensor PlacV-ParsOC2-lacZ with a linear response between 0 and 5 ppb was used to perform colorimetric reactions in 24-well plates combined with a smartphone application for the quantification of the arsenic level in groundwater. This study offers a new approach to improve the performance of bacterial sensing promoters and will facilitate the on-site application of arsenic whole-cell biosensors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheng-Yan Chen
- School
of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shihezi
University, Shihezi 832003, China
| | - Yan Zhang
- School
of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shihezi
University, Shihezi 832003, China
| | - Renjie Li
- School
of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shihezi
University, Shihezi 832003, China
| | - Baojun Wang
- College
of Chemical and Biological Engineering & ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific
and Technological Innovation Center, Zhejiang
University, Hangzhou 311200, China,Research
Center of Biological Computation, Zhejiang
Laboratory, Hangzhou 311100, China,Centre
for Synthetic and Systems Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FF, United Kingdom,
| | - Bang-Ce Ye
- School
of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shihezi
University, Shihezi 832003, China,Institute
of Engineering Biology and Health, Collaborative Innovation Center
of Yangtze River Delta Region Green Pharmaceuticals, College of Pharmaceutical
Sciences, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, Zhejiang, China,Lab of Biosystem
and Microanalysis, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China,. Tel/Fax: 0086-21-64252094
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19
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Zhang Y, Zou ZP, Chen SY, Wei WP, Zhou Y, Ye BC. Design and optimization of E. coli artificial genetic circuits for detection of explosive composition 2,4-dinitrotoluene. Biosens Bioelectron 2022; 207:114205. [PMID: 35339074 DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2022.114205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2021] [Revised: 03/07/2022] [Accepted: 03/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The detection of mine-based explosives poses a serious threat to the lives of deminers, and carcinogenic residues may cause severe environmental pollution. Whole-cell biosensors that can detect on-site in dangerous or inaccessible environments have great potential to replace conventional methods. Synthetic biology based on engineering modularity serves as a new tool that could be used to engineer microbes to acquire desired functions through artificial design and precise regulation. In this study, we designed artificial genetic circuits in Escherichia coli MG1655 by reconstructing the transcription factor YhaJ-based system to detect explosive composition 2,4-dinitrotoluene (2,4-DNT). These genetic circuits were optimized at the transcriptional, translational, and post-translational levels. The binding affinity of the transcription factor YhaJ with inducer 2,4-DNT metabolites was enhanced via directed evolution, and several activator binding sites were inserted in sensing yqjF promoter (PyqjF) to further improve the output level. The optimized biosensor PyqjF×2-TEV-(mYhaJ + GFP)-Ssr had a maximum induction ratio of 189 with green fluorescent signal output, and it could perceive at least 1 μg/mL 2,4-DNT. Its effective and robust performance was verified in different water samples. Our results demonstrate the use of synthetic biology tools to systematically optimize the performance of sensors for 2,4-DNT detection, that lay the foundation for practical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Zhang
- Laboratory of Biosystems and Microanalysis, Institute of Engineering Biology and Health, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China; School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering/Key Laboratory of Environmental Monitoring and Pollutant Control of Xinjiang Bingtuan, Shihezi University, Shihezi, 832003, China
| | - Zhen-Ping Zou
- Laboratory of Biosystems and Microanalysis, Institute of Engineering Biology and Health, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Sheng-Yan Chen
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering/Key Laboratory of Environmental Monitoring and Pollutant Control of Xinjiang Bingtuan, Shihezi University, Shihezi, 832003, China
| | - Wen-Ping Wei
- Institute of Engineering Biology and Health, Collaborative Innovation Center of Yangtze River Delta Region Green Pharmaceuticals, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310014, Zhejiang, China
| | - Ying Zhou
- Laboratory of Biosystems and Microanalysis, Institute of Engineering Biology and Health, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Bang-Ce Ye
- Laboratory of Biosystems and Microanalysis, Institute of Engineering Biology and Health, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China; School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering/Key Laboratory of Environmental Monitoring and Pollutant Control of Xinjiang Bingtuan, Shihezi University, Shihezi, 832003, China; Institute of Engineering Biology and Health, Collaborative Innovation Center of Yangtze River Delta Region Green Pharmaceuticals, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310014, Zhejiang, China.
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20
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Continuous synthesis of N, S co-coped carbon dots for selective detection of Cd (II) ions. J Photochem Photobiol A Chem 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jphotochem.2022.113910] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
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21
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Tsai ST, Cheng WJ, Zhang QX, Yeh YC. Gold-Specific Biosensor for Monitoring Wastewater Using Genetically Engineered Cupriavidus metallidurans CH34. ACS Synth Biol 2021; 10:3576-3582. [PMID: 34860511 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.1c00520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Transcription factor-based whole-cell biosensors have recently become promising alternatives to conventional analytical methods due to their advantage of simplicity, cost-effectiveness, and environmental friendliness. In this study, we used genetic engineering to develop a whole-cell biosensor based on the activation of promoters by CupR via interactions with gold ions, leading to the expression of reporter genes that yield output signals. Altering the promoter sequences was shown to significantly improve the performance of the biosensor strain in terms of gold-specificity. The detection sensitivity of our engineered strains was 42-fold higher than that of wild-type strains. The linear range of the purposed sensor was 125-1000 nM with a limit of detection at 46.5 nM. The effectiveness of the sensor strain was verified in wastewater samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ssu-Tzu Tsai
- Department of Chemistry, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei 116, Taiwan
| | - Wen-Jui Cheng
- Department of Chemistry, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei 116, Taiwan
| | - Qian-Xian Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei 116, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Chun Yeh
- Department of Chemistry, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei 116, Taiwan
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22
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Zhang G, Hu S, Jia X. Highly Sensitive Whole-Cell Biosensor for Cadmium Detection Based on a Negative Feedback Circuit. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2021; 9:799781. [PMID: 34926437 PMCID: PMC8678453 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2021.799781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2021] [Accepted: 11/17/2021] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Although many whole-cell biosensors (WCBs) for the detection of Cd2+ have been developed over the years, most lack sensitivity and specificity. In this paper, we developed a Cd2+ WCB with a negative feedback amplifier in P. putida KT2440. Based on the slope of the linear detection curve as a measure of sensitivity, WCB with negative feedback amplifier greatly increased the output signal of the reporter mCherry, resulting in 33% greater sensitivity than in an equivalent WCB without the negative feedback circuit. Moreover, WCB with negative feedback amplifier exhibited increased Cd2+ tolerance and a lower detection limit of 0.1 nM, a remarkable 400-fold improvement compared to the WCB without the negative feedback circuit, which is significantly below the World Health Organization standard of 27 nM (0.003 mg/L) for cadmium in drinking water. Due to the superior amplification of the output signal, WCB with negative feedback amplifier can provide a detectable signal in a much shorter time, and a fast response is highly preferable for real field applications. In addition, the WCB with negative feedback amplifier showed an unusually high specificity for Cd2+ compared to other metal ions, giving signals with other metals that were between 17.6 and 41.4 times weaker than with Cd2+. In summary, the negative feedback amplifier WCB designed in this work meets the requirements of Cd2+ detection with very high sensitivity and specificity, which also demonstrates that genetic negative feedback amplifiers are excellent tools for improving the performance of WCBs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guangbao Zhang
- Department of Biochemical Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
| | - Shuting Hu
- Department of Biochemical Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
| | - Xiaoqiang Jia
- Department of Biochemical Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
- Frontier Science Center for Synthetic Biology and Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (MOE), School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering (Tianjin), Tianjin, China
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23
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Beabout K, Bernhards CB, Thakur M, Turner KB, Cole SD, Walper SA, Chávez JL, Lux MW. Optimization of Heavy Metal Sensors Based on Transcription Factors and Cell-Free Expression Systems. ACS Synth Biol 2021; 10:3040-3054. [PMID: 34723503 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.1c00331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Many bacterial mechanisms for highly specific and sensitive detection of heavy metals and other hazards have been reengineered to serve as sensors. In some cases, these sensors have been implemented in cell-free expression systems, enabling easier design optimization and deployment in low-resource settings through lyophilization. Here, we apply the advantages of cell-free expression systems to optimize sensors based on three separate bacterial response mechanisms for arsenic, cadmium, and mercury. We achieved detection limits below the World Health Organization-recommended levels for arsenic and mercury and below the short-term US Military Exposure Guideline levels for all three. The optimization of each sensor was approached differently, leading to observations useful for the development of future sensors: (1) there can be a strong dependence of specificity on the particular cell-free expression system used, (2) tuning of relative concentrations of the sensing and reporter elements improves sensitivity, and (3) sensor performance can vary significantly with linear vs plasmid DNA. In addition, we show that simply combining DNA for the three sensors into a single reaction enables detection of each target heavy metal without any further optimization. This combined approach could lead to sensors that detect a range of hazards at once, such as a panel of water contaminants or all known variants of a target virus. For low-resource settings, such "all-hazard" sensors in a cheap, easy-to-use format could have high utility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn Beabout
- UES, Inc., Dayton, Ohio 45432, United States
- Air Force Research Laboratory, 711th Human Performance Wing, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio 45433, United States
| | - Casey B. Bernhards
- Excet, Inc., 6225 Brandon Avenue #360, Springfield, Virginia 22150, United States
- U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Chemical Biological Center, 8198 Blackhawk Road, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland 21010, United States
| | - Meghna Thakur
- Naval Research Laboratory, 4555 Overlook Avenue SW, Washington, D.C. 20375, United States
- College of Science, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia 22030, United States
| | - Kendrick B. Turner
- Naval Research Laboratory, 4555 Overlook Avenue SW, Washington, D.C. 20375, United States
| | - Stephanie D. Cole
- U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Chemical Biological Center, 8198 Blackhawk Road, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland 21010, United States
| | - Scott A. Walper
- Naval Research Laboratory, 4555 Overlook Avenue SW, Washington, D.C. 20375, United States
| | - Jorge L. Chávez
- Air Force Research Laboratory, 711th Human Performance Wing, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio 45433, United States
| | - Matthew W. Lux
- U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Chemical Biological Center, 8198 Blackhawk Road, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland 21010, United States
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24
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Jia X, Liu T, Ma Y, Wu K. Construction of cadmium whole-cell biosensors and circuit amplification. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2021; 105:5689-5699. [PMID: 34160647 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-021-11403-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2021] [Revised: 05/21/2021] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Owing to the prevalence of cadmium contamination and its serious hazards, it is important to establish an efficient and low-cost monitoring technique for the detection of the heavy metal cadmium. In this study, we first designed 30 cadmium whole-cell biosensors (WCBs) using different combinations of detection elements, reporting elements, and the host. The best performing WCB KT-5-R with Pseudomonas putida KT2440 as the host and composed of CadR and mCherry was selected for further analysis and engineering. In order to enhance its sensitivity, a positive feedback amplifier was added or the gene dosage of the reporter gene was increased. The WCB with the T7RNAP amplification module, p2T7RNAPmut-68, had the best performance and improved tolerance to cadmium with a detection limit of 0.01 μM, which is the WHO standard. It also showed excellent specificity toward cadmium when assayed with mixed metal ions. This study demonstrated the power of circuit engineering in WCB design and provided valuable insights for the development of other WCBs. KEY POINTS: • KT-5-R was selected after prescreening and engineered for better performance. • Using multi-copy reporters and the T7RNAP amplifier greatly improved the performance. • p2T7RNAPmut-68 had a detection limit of 0.01 μM and improved tolerance to cadmium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoqiang Jia
- Department of Biochemical Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, People's Republic of China. .,Frontier Science Center for Synthetic Biology and Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (MOE), School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300350, People's Republic of China. .,Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering (Tianjin University), Tianjin, 300072, People's Republic of China.
| | - Teng Liu
- Department of Biochemical Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, People's Republic of China
| | - Yubing Ma
- Department of Biochemical Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, People's Republic of China
| | - Kang Wu
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, 03824, USA.
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