Abstract
Whole-cell biosensors are one of the most popular applications of synthetic biology. Biological sensing mechanisms originating from natural systems are coupled to response modules in living cells to create engineered organisms that can sense target compounds and produce a measurable output. This chapter reviews the fundamental building blocks of whole-cell biosensor design and the methods that are available for the development of whole-cell biosensors. A wide variety of target molecules have been shown to be detectable by whole-cell biosensors, ranging from heavy metals to metabolic products. The mechanism of detection can occur at the transcriptional, translational, or posttranslational level within the cell. Further design considerations such as inputs, output, and chassis need to be selected depending on the purpose of the biosensor. Once a design has been finalized, it is common that optimization of the device is necessary in order to meet performance requirements. This can be done through methods such as modification of the genetic design, mutation of the sensing element, or addition of control elements such as feedback loops or amplifiers. Creating a mathematical model of the biosensing system is a vital step in this process as it enables a priori prediction of which parts to modify in order to achieve the desired behavior. Taking into account the fundamental building blocks and design choices enables the development of whole-cell biosensors that can be used for real-world applications in the future.
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Wen, K.Y., Rutter, J.W., Barnes, C.P., Dekker, L. (2022). Fundamental Building Blocks of Whole-Cell Biosensor Design. In: Thouand, G. (eds) Handbook of Cell Biosensors. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-23217-7_181
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