Seeing Colors: A Literature Review on Colorimetric Whole-Cell Biosensors

Nemer, Georgio; Koubaa, Mohamed; El Chamy, Laure; Maroun, Richard G.; Louka, Nicolas

doi:10.3390/fermentation10020079

Cited by 4 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 109 publications

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“…Various cell-based biosensors emerging with the rapid development of synthetic biology specifically respond to bioavailable heavy metals, which are toxic to organisms . Many studies indicate that whole-cell biosensors are a powerful supplement to traditional instrumental ways. ,, The emergence of colorimetric whole-cell biosensors further lowers their application threshold . The development of colorful reporters facilitates the design of versatile biological devices to monitor environmental contaminations using green analytical chemistry.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…1,9,10 The emergence of colorimetric whole-cell biosensors further lowers their application threshold. 23 The development of colorful reporters facilitates the design of versatile biological devices to monitor environmental contaminations using green analytical chemistry.…”

Section: Indigo Biosynthesismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These pigments are generated from gene clusters like vioABCDE , phzMS , crtEBIY , bpsA-pcpS, and 3GT-ANS . Such biosensors detect heavy metal ions such as Hg(II), Pb(II), and Cd(II). − Pigment-based bacterial biosensors are a promising solution for field tests due to their substrate-free nature, small equipment requirements, and signal amplification properties. , Biotechnological advances possibly enable the production of more pigments in bacterial chassis cells as a novel, green chemical and visual indicator for bacterial biosensing.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…19−22 Pigment-based bacterial biosensors are a promising solution for field tests due to their substrate-free nature, small equipment requirements, and signal amplification properties. 1,23 Biotechnological advances possibly enable the production of more pigments in bacterial chassis cells as a novel, green chemical and visual indicator for bacterial biosensing.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Biosynthesis of Indigo Dyes and Their Application in Green Chemical and Visual Biosensing for Heavy Metals

Guo,

Hu,

et al. 2024

ACS Omega

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Fermentative production of natural colorants using microbial strains has emerged as a cost-effective and sustainable alternative to chemical synthesis. Visual pigments are used as signal outputs in colorimetric bacterial biosensors, a promising method for monitoring environmental pollutants. In this study, we engineered four self-sufficient indigo-forming enzymes, including HbpAv, bFMO, cFMO, and rFPMO, in a model bacterium E. coli. TrxA-bFMO was chosen for its strong ability to produce indigo under T7 lac and mer promoters' regulation. The choice of bacterial hosts, the supplementation of substrate L-tryptophan, and ventilation were crucial factors affecting indigo production. The indigo reporter validated the biosensors for Hg(II), Pb(II), As(III), and Cd(II). The biosensors reported Hg(II) as low as 14.1 nM, Pb(II) as low as 1.5 nM, and As(III) as low as 4.5 nM but increased to 25 μM for Cd(II). The detection ranges for Hg(II), Pb(II), As(III), and Cd(II) were quantified from 14.1 to 225 nM, 1.5 to 24.4 nM, 4.5 to 73.2 nM, and 25 to 200 μM, respectively. The sensitivity, responsive concentration range, and selectivity are comparable to βgalactosidase and luciferase reporter enzymes. This study suggests that engineered enzymes for indigo production have great potential for green chemical synthesis. Additionally, heterologous biosynthesis of indigo production can lead to the development of novel, low-cost, and mini-equipment bacterial biosensors with zero background noise for visual monitoring of pollutant heavy metals.

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