Title |
The Bacterial Nanorecorder: Engineering E. coli to Function as a Chemical Recording Device
|
---|---|
Published in |
PLOS ONE, November 2011
|
DOI | 10.1371/journal.pone.0027559 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Prasanna Bhomkar, Wayne Materi, David S. Wishart |
Abstract |
Synthetic biology is an emerging branch of molecular biology that uses synthetic genetic constructs to create man-made cells or organisms that are capable of performing novel and/or useful applications. Using a synthetic chemically sensitive genetic toggle switch to activate appropriate fluorescent protein indicators (GFP, RFP) and a cell division inhibitor (minC), we have created a novel E. coli strain that can be used as a highly specific, yet simple and inexpensive chemical recording device. This biological "nanorecorder" can be used to determine both the type and the time at which a brief chemical exposure event has occurred. In particular, we show that the short-term exposure (15-30 min) of cells harboring this synthetic genetic circuit to small molecule signals (anhydrotetracycline or IPTG) triggered long-term and uniform cell elongation, with cell length being directly proportional to the time elapsed following a brief chemical exposure. This work demonstrates that facile modification of an existing genetic toggle switch can be exploited to generate a robust, biologically-based "nanorecorder" that could potentially be adapted to detect, respond and record a wide range of chemical stimuli that may vary over time and space. |
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Canada | 2 | 10% |
France | 1 | 5% |
Brazil | 1 | 5% |
Unknown | 10 | 50% |
Demographic breakdown
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Members of the public | 13 | 65% |
Scientists | 5 | 25% |
Practitioners (doctors, other healthcare professionals) | 2 | 10% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
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United Kingdom | 2 | 3% |
Spain | 2 | 3% |
Austria | 1 | 1% |
Norway | 1 | 1% |
Belgium | 1 | 1% |
Malaysia | 1 | 1% |
Argentina | 1 | 1% |
China | 1 | 1% |
Other | 0 | 0% |
Unknown | 63 | 84% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Student > Ph. D. Student | 24 | 32% |
Researcher | 19 | 25% |
Student > Master | 13 | 17% |
Student > Bachelor | 7 | 9% |
Student > Doctoral Student | 3 | 4% |
Other | 7 | 9% |
Unknown | 2 | 3% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
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Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 10 | 13% |
Engineering | 9 | 12% |
Computer Science | 4 | 5% |
Social Sciences | 3 | 4% |
Other | 10 | 13% |
Unknown | 4 | 5% |