title: Electronic control of gene expression and cell behaviour in Escherichia coli through redox signalling.
abstract: The ability to interconvert information between electronic and ionic modalities has transformed our ability to record and actuate biological function. Synthetic biology offers the potential to expand communication 'bandwidth' by using biomolecules and providing electrochemical access to redox-based cell signals and behaviours. While engineered cells have transmitted molecular information to electronic devices, the potential for bidirectional communication stands largely untapped. Here we present a simple electrogenetic device that uses redox biomolecules to carry electronic information to engineered bacterial cells in order to control transcription from a simple synthetic gene circuit. Electronic actuation of the native transcriptional regulator SoxR and transcription from the PsoxS promoter allows cell response that is quick, reversible and dependent on the amplitude and frequency of the imposed electronic signals. Further, induction of bacterial motility and population based cell-to-cell communication demonstrates the versatility of our approach and potential to drive intricate biological behaviours.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, University of Maryland, 4291 Fieldhouse Drive, 5112 Plant Sciences Building, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA.
authors.forename: Tanya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tschirhart
authors.affiliation: Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, University of Maryland, 4291 Fieldhouse Drive, 5112 Plant Sciences Building, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA.
authors.forename: Eunkyoung
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, University of Maryland, 4291 Fieldhouse Drive, 5112 Plant Sciences Building, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA.|Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, 8228 Paint Branch Drive, 2330 Jeong H. Kim Engineering Building, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA.
authors.forename: Ryan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: McKay
authors.affiliation: Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, University of Maryland, 4291 Fieldhouse Drive, 5112 Plant Sciences Building, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA.|Mathematics Department, University of Maryland, 4176 Campus Drive-William E. Kirwan Hall, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA.
authors.forename: Hana
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ueda
authors.affiliation: Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, University of Maryland, 4291 Fieldhouse Drive, 5112 Plant Sciences Building, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA.
authors.forename: Hsuan-Chen
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, University of Maryland, 4291 Fieldhouse Drive, 5112 Plant Sciences Building, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA.|Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, 8228 Paint Branch Drive, 2330 Jeong H. Kim Engineering Building, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA.
authors.forename: Alex Eli
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Pottash
authors.affiliation: Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, 8228 Paint Branch Drive, 2330 Jeong H. Kim Engineering Building, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA.
authors.forename: Amin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zargar
authors.affiliation: Biotechnology Core Laboratory, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, 14 Service Road West, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA.
authors.forename: Alejandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Negrete
authors.affiliation: Biotechnology Core Laboratory, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, 14 Service Road West, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA.
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shiloach
authors.affiliation: Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, University of Maryland, 4291 Fieldhouse Drive, 5112 Plant Sciences Building, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA.|Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, 8228 Paint Branch Drive, 2330 Jeong H. Kim Engineering Building, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA.
authors.forename: Gregory F
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Payne
authors.affiliation: Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, University of Maryland, 4291 Fieldhouse Drive, 5112 Plant Sciences Building, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA.|Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, 8228 Paint Branch Drive, 2330 Jeong H. Kim Engineering Building, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA.
authors.forename: William E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Bentley
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004581:Electronics / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000737:chemistry / Q000166:cytology / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D015398:Signal Transduction; D058615:Synthetic Biology; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D015534:Trans-Activators; D014157:Transcription Factors; C070724:SoxR protein, Bacteria; C070725:SoxS protein, E coli