Open AccessEngineering a riboswitch-based genetic platform for the self-directed evolution of acid-tolerant phenotypes
Author(s) -
Hoang Long Pham,
Adison Wong,
Niying Chua,
Wei Suong Teo,
Wen Shan Yew,
Matthew Wook Chang
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
nature communications
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.559
H-Index - 365
ISSN - 2041-1723
DOI - 10.1038/s41467-017-00511-w
Subject(s) - riboswitch , metabolic engineering , synthetic biology , phenotype , genetic programming , computer science , computational biology , host (biology) , biology , biochemical engineering , biological system , gene , gene expression , genetics , artificial intelligence , engineering , non coding rna
Environmental pH is a fundamental signal continuously directing the metabolism and behavior of living cells. Programming the precise cellular response toward environmental pH is, therefore, crucial for engineering cells for increasingly sophisticated functions. Herein, we engineer a set of riboswitch-based pH-sensing genetic devices to enable the control of gene expression according to differential environmental pH. We next develop a digital pH-sensing system to utilize the analogue-sensing behavior of these devices for high-resolution recording of host cell exposure to discrete external pH levels. The application of this digital pH-sensing system is demonstrated in a genetic program that autonomously regulated the evolutionary engineering of host cells for improved tolerance to a broad spectrum of organic acids, a valuable phenotype for metabolic engineering and bioremediation applications.