“…Biosensors that give a dose-dependent signal based on the bioavailability of a specific pollutant are called Class I biosensors, those that output a signal based on the stress caused by pollutants are called Class II biosensors, and those that exhibit a non-specific reduction in signal output due to the toxicity of a pollutant are called Class III biosensors ( Fig. 2 , Zhang et al, 2021 ; Zhu et al, 2022 ). Fig.…”
Section: A New Approach For Assessing the Risk Of Soil Pollution By P...mentioning
“…Biosensors that give a dose-dependent signal based on the bioavailability of a specific pollutant are called Class I biosensors, those that output a signal based on the stress caused by pollutants are called Class II biosensors, and those that exhibit a non-specific reduction in signal output due to the toxicity of a pollutant are called Class III biosensors ( Fig. 2 , Zhang et al, 2021 ; Zhu et al, 2022 ). Fig.…”
Section: A New Approach For Assessing the Risk Of Soil Pollution By P...mentioning
“…The finding that methyl halide cell–cell signaling can be achieved between different soil microbes in a cm-scale soil habitat extends the volatile signals that can be used to program information flow in a community beyond acetaldehyde and hydrogen sulfide. , In future studies, it will be interesting to explore whether such volatile cell–cell signaling can be used to create synthetic networks of information flow that report on the bioavailability of organic pollutants in soils and sediments, the state of bioremediation of organic and inorganic pollutants, , and soil health . To extend these studies, it will be important to tune this signaling so that it functions in other habitats developed for bulk soil studies, such as EcoFABs and rhizotrons. , To be useful for studies in situ, it will be important to explore how this type of cell–cell signaling can be used to overcome challenges at the soil-air interface where volatile chemical signals are massively diluted by the atmosphere, thereby limiting detection using analytical methods .…”
“…The finding that methyl halide cell-cell signaling can be achieved between different soil microbes in a cm-scale soil habitat extends the volatile signals that can be used to program information flow in a community beyond acetaldehyde and hydrogen sulfide. 43, 44 In future studies, it will be interesting to explore whether such volatile cell-cell signaling can be used to create synthetic networks of information flow that report on the bioavailability of organic pollutants in soil and sediments, 45 the state of bioremediation of organic and inorganic pollutants, 46, 47 and soil health. 48 To extend these studies, it will be important to tune this signaling so that it functions in other habitats developed for bulk soil studies, such as EcoFABs and rhizotrons.…”
Soil microbial communities with reduced complexity are emerging as model systems for studying consortia-scale phenotypes. To establish synthetic biology tools for studying these communities in hard-to-image environmental materials, we evaluated whether a single member of a model soil consortium (MSC) can be programmed to report on gene expression without requiring matrix disruption. For these studies, we targeted a five member MSC that includesDyadobacter fermentans,Ensifer adhaerens,Rhodococcussp003130705,Streptomycessp001905665, andVariovorax beijingensis. By coupling the expression of a methyl halide transferase to a constitutive promoter, we show thatVariovorax beijingensiscan be programmed to synthesize methyl halides that accumulate in the soil headspace at levels that are ≥24-fold higher than all other MSC members across a range of environmentally-relevant hydration conditions. We find that methyl halide production can report on a MSC promoter that is activated by changes in water potential, and we demonstrate that a synthetic gas signal can be read out directly using gas chromatography and indirectly using a soil-derived Methylorubrum that is programmed to produce a visual output in response to methyl halides. These tools will be useful for future studies that investigate how MSC respond to dynamic hydration conditions, such as drought and flood events induced by climate change, which can alter soil water potential and induce the release of stored carbon.
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