Genetically-encoded Biosensors for Strain Development and Single Cell Analysis of Corynebacterium glutamicum
Nurije Mustafi, Michael Bott and Julia Frunzke
from: Corynebacterium glutamicum: From Systems Biology to Biotechnological Applications (Edited by: Andreas Burkovski). Caister Academic Press, U.K. (2015) Pages: 179-196.
Abstract
Genetically-encoded single cell biosensors have long been used for the detection of pollutants and stress stimuli in the field of microengineering and bioremediation. In industrial microbiology their potential for the detection of various small molecules in single cells and their implementation in strain development and high-throughput (HT) screenings has rarely been exploited so far. However, several recent studies revealed suchlike sensor systems, which transform the production of inconspicuous small molecules into an optical readout (e.g. fluorescence), as a powerful tool for single cell quantification of metabolites. Recent studies reported on the construction of transcription factor-based biosensors for the intracellular detection of amino acid production in Corynebacterium glutamicum. In this chapter we will introduce the general design and characterization of sensor performance features. An overview of all currently available C. glutamicum biosensors is provided, including several sensors for the detection of amino acids and stress stimuli in single cells. Finally, we introduce the emerging field of applications for metabolite biosensors in flow cytometry-based HT screening approaches and live cell imaging of metabolite production using microfluidic lab-on-a-chip devices. First results, outlined in this chapter, already highlight the great potential of biosensor-driven strain development and single cell analysis and promise the revolution of traditional approaches towards a "bright" future of industrial microbiology read more ...
