ArticleJournal of biological engineering2019
Using the promoters of MerR family proteins as "rheostats" to engineer whole-cell heavy metal biosensors with adjustable sensitivity.
Article in Journal of biological engineering, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers.
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Who cites it
22 citing papers in PubMed, 46 citations in OpenAlex.
- Enzyme-cascade-amplified colorimetric biosensing platform for sub-nanomolar methylmercury in environmental waters.RSC advances · 2026Article
- Repurposing the Sb(III)-specific efflux and sequestration system (ant operon) to mitigate antimonite cross-talk in ArsR-based bacterial arsenite sensors.Microbial cell factories · 2025Article
- Pyomelanin-powered whole-cell biosensor for ultrasensitive and selective detection of bioavailable Hg(ii).RSC advances · 2025Article
- Engineering the Escherichia coli Nissle strain for monitoring the bacterial cell distribution and therapeutic protein expression within the intestinal tract of animal models.Biotechnology letters · 2025Article
- PlomBOX: a low cost bioassay for the sensitive detection of lead in drinking water.Communications engineering · 2025Article
- Systematic evaluation of pigment-based whole-cell lead biosensors: challenges in genetic circuit engineering and critical considerations for background noise control.Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology · 2025Article
- Detection of environmental pollutants using transcription factor-based whole-cell biosensors.Biotechnology for the environment · 2025Review
- Article
- MoBioS: Modular Platform Technology for High-Throughput Construction and Characterization of Tunable Transcriptional Biological Sensors.Biosensors · 2023Article
- Electroactive Microorganisms in Advanced Energy Technologies.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Shoot-root signal circuit: Phytoremediation of heavy metal contaminated soil.Frontiers in plant science · 2023Review
- Transcription Factor-Based Biosensors for Detecting Pathogens.Biosensors · 2022Review
- Article
- Use of whole-cell bioreporters to assess bioavailability of contaminants in aquatic systems.Frontiers in chemistry · 2022Review
- Indigoidine biosynthesis triggered by the heavy metal-responsive transcription regulator: a visual whole-cell biosensor.Applied microbiology and biotechnology · 2021Article
- Development of a bioavailable Hg(II) sensing system based on MerR-regulated visual pigment biosynthesis.Scientific reports · 2021Article
- Versatile artificial mer operons in Escherichia coli towards whole cell biosensing and adsorption of mercury.PloS one · 2021Article
- Highly Sensitive Whole-Cell Biosensor for Cadmium Detection Based on a Negative Feedback Circuit.Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology · 2021Article
- Detection of Bioavailable Cadmium by Double-Color Fluorescence Based on a Dual-Sensing Bioreporter System.Frontiers in microbiology · 2021Article
- Whole-Cell Microbial Bioreporter for Soil Contaminants Detection.Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology · 2021Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundWhole cell biosensors provide a simple method for the detection of heavy metals. However, previous designs of them rely primarily on simulation of heavy metal resistance systems of bacteria.
resultsThis study proposes a strategy for the rational design of metal detection circuits based on sensor proteins of the MerR family. Our results indicate the expression level of sensor protein can be used as a "rheostat" for tuning detection sensitivity with parabola curves to represent the relationships between the detection slopes and the sensor protein levels. This circuits design strategy (named as "Parabola Principle"), is used as a guide for the discovery of optimum metal detection circuits, and the design of biosensors with specific metal detection characteristics. For example, visible qualitative Hg (II) biosensors with a threshold of 0.05 mg/L are successfully constructed.
conclusionsThese results indicate the feasibility of developing a sensor that is much more tunable than what is presented. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT:
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