Plug-and-play metabolic transducers expand the chemical detection space of cell-free biosensors.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 30979906.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-019-09722-9 and PMC identifier 6461607.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Cell-free transcription-translation systems have great potential for biosensing, yet the range of detectable chemicals is limited. Here we provide a workflow to expand the range of molecules detectable by cell-free biosensors through combining synthetic metabolic cascades with transcription factor-based networks. These hybrid cell-free biosensors have a fast response time, strong signal response, and a high dynamic range. In addition, they are capable of functioning in a variety of complex media, including commercial beverages and human urine, in which they can be used to detect clinically relevant concentrations of small molecules. This work provides a foundation to engineer modular cell-free biosensors tailored for many applications.
Medical subject headings
- Beverages
- Biosensing Techniques
- Cell-Free System
- Urinalysis