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Review
. 2017 Apr 14;16(1):62.
doi: 10.1186/s12934-017-0675-z.

Engineered microbial biosensors based on bacterial two-component systems as synthetic biotechnology platforms in bioremediation and biorefinery

Sambandam Ravikumar  1 , Mary Grace Baylon  2 , Si Jae Park  3 , Jong-Il Choi  4
Affiliations
Review

Engineered microbial biosensors based on bacterial two-component systems as synthetic biotechnology platforms in bioremediation and biorefinery

Sambandam Ravikumar et al. Microb Cell Fact. .

Abstract

Two-component regulatory systems (TCRSs) mediate cellular response by coupling sensing and regulatory mechanisms. TCRSs are comprised of a histidine kinase (HK), which serves as a sensor, and a response regulator, which regulates expression of the effector gene after being phosphorylated by HK. Using these attributes, bacterial TCRSs can be engineered to design microbial systems for different applications. This review focuses on the current advances in TCRS-based biosensors and on the design of microbial systems for bioremediation and their potential application in biorefinery.

Keywords: Biorefinery; Bioremediation; Biosensor; Genetic circuit; Two-component regulatory system.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Application of different cell surface display technologies in A antibody production, B peptide library screening, C biosensors, D biocatalysts, E bio-adsorption, and F vaccine development
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
a Domain structure of bacterial two-component regulatory systems (TCRS). Typical two-component phosphotransfer systems contain a sensor domain and a cytoplasmic response regulator (RRs). b A multi-component phosphorelay system containing the HAMP, PAS, and phosphotransfer domains. The periplasmic metal-sensing receptors sense heavy metals and phosphorylate the HK domain and activate the corresponding RR. The RR activates the synthetic genetic circuit of the TCRS resulting in the expression of the reporter protein. The genetic circuit shown in gray can be developed as a biosensor
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Application of TCRSs in bioremediation and microbial biorefinery. TCRSs serve as a regulatory system for the expression of genes encoding enzymes for the degradation of the detected target pollutant compound or for genes encoding enzymes for the production of the target chemical product
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Synthetic TCRS with integrated biosensing and bioremediating functions for the detection of the target compound and upregulation of the effector protein that allow real-time detection of controlled gene expression
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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