title: Toward development of an autonomous network of bacteria-based delivery systems (BacteriaBots): spatiotemporally high-throughput characterization of bacterial quorum-sensing response.
abstract: Characterization of bacterial innate and engineered cooperative behavior, regulated through chemical signaling in a process known as quorum sensing, is critical to development of a myriad of bacteria-enabled systems including biohybrid drug delivery systems and biohybrid mobile sensor networks. Here, we demonstrate, for the first time, that microfluidic diffusive mixers can be used for spatiotemporally high-throughput characterization of bacterial quorum-sensing response. Using this batch characterization method, the quorum-sensing response in Escherichia coli MG1655, transformed with a truncated lux operon from Vibrio fischeri, in the presence of 1-100 nM exogenous acyl-homoserine lactone molecules has been quantified. This method provides a rapid and facile tool for high-throughput characterization of the quorum-sensing response of genetically modified bacteria in the presence of a wide concentration range of signaling molecules with a precision of ±0.5 nM. Furthermore, the quorum-sensing response of BacteriaBots has been characterized to determine if the results obtained from a large bacterial population can serve as a robust predictive tool for the small bacterial population attached to each BacteriaBot.
authors.affiliation: School of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences, ‡Mechanical Engineering Department, and §Department of Biological Sciences Virginia Tech , Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sahari
authors.forename: Mahama A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Traore
authors.forename: Ann M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Stevens
authors.forename: Birgit E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Scharf
authors.forename: Bahareh
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Behkam
mesh_terms: D048908:Aliivibrio fischeri / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D057166:High-Throughput Screening Assays; D046210:Microfluidic Analytical Techniques; D053038:Quorum Sensing