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Autoinducer Sensing Microarrays by Reporter Bacteria Encapsulated in Hybrid Supramolecular‐Polysaccharide Hydrogels
Author(s) -
Li Ping,
Dou Xiaoqiu,
Müller Mareike,
Feng Chuanliang,
Chang Matthew Wook,
Frettlöh Martin,
Schönherr Holger
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
macromolecular bioscience
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.924
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1616-5195
pISSN - 1616-5187
DOI - 10.1002/mabi.201700176
Subject(s) - self healing hydrogels , bacteria , polysaccharide , chemistry , supramolecular chemistry , autoinducer , nanotechnology , chitosan , microbiology and biotechnology , quorum sensing , biophysics , biochemistry , biology , polymer chemistry , materials science , organic chemistry , genetics , biofilm , molecule
A generally applicable strategy to obtain mechanically robust hydrogels for the incorporation and containment of functional reporter bacteria for the microarray and microparticle‐based detection and signaling of N ‐acyl homoserine lactone autoinducers (3OC 12 HSL) at relevant concentrations is reported. For reinforcing hydrogels of 1,4‐bi(phenylalanine‐diglycol)‐benzene (PDB), a hybrid hydrogel is formed by the combination of PDB self‐assembly with Ca 2+ mediated alginate crosslinking. The different assembly mechanisms are shown not to interfere with each other and despite the more than four‐fold increased moduli of the hydrogels, diffusion of autoinducers into the gels remains efficient and Escherichia coli pLuxR‐green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter bacteria are proliferating. Templating affords reporter bacteria‐loaded hydrogels with controllable shape and size. Upon exposure to 3OC 12 HSL, the embedded bacteria exhibit an up to 12 ± 3 times increase in fluorescence intensity due to autoinducer‐triggered GFP expression. This approach can serve as a potentially generally applicable strategy to sensitively detect bacteria via their secreted autoinducers.