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Light-regulated gene expression in Bacteria: Fundamentals, advances, and perspectives

Numerous photoreceptors and genetic circuits emerged over the past two decades and now enable the light-dependent i.e., optogenetic, regulation of gene expression in bacteria. Prompted by light cues in the near-ultraviolet to near-infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum, gene expression can...

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Autores principales: Ohlendorf, Robert, Möglich, Andreas
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Frontiers Media S.A. 2022
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9614035/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36312534
http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2022.1029403
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author Ohlendorf, Robert
Möglich, Andreas
author_facet Ohlendorf, Robert
Möglich, Andreas
author_sort Ohlendorf, Robert
collection PubMed
description Numerous photoreceptors and genetic circuits emerged over the past two decades and now enable the light-dependent i.e., optogenetic, regulation of gene expression in bacteria. Prompted by light cues in the near-ultraviolet to near-infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum, gene expression can be up- or downregulated stringently, reversibly, non-invasively, and with precision in space and time. Here, we survey the underlying principles, available options, and prominent examples of optogenetically regulated gene expression in bacteria. While transcription initiation and elongation remain most important for optogenetic intervention, other processes e.g., translation and downstream events, were also rendered light-dependent. The optogenetic control of bacterial expression predominantly employs but three fundamental strategies: light-sensitive two-component systems, oligomerization reactions, and second-messenger signaling. Certain optogenetic circuits moved beyond the proof-of-principle and stood the test of practice. They enable unprecedented applications in three major areas. First, light-dependent expression underpins novel concepts and strategies for enhanced yields in microbial production processes. Second, light-responsive bacteria can be optogenetically stimulated while residing within the bodies of animals, thus prompting the secretion of compounds that grant health benefits to the animal host. Third, optogenetics allows the generation of precisely structured, novel biomaterials. These applications jointly testify to the maturity of the optogenetic approach and serve as blueprints bound to inspire and template innovative use cases of light-regulated gene expression in bacteria. Researchers pursuing these lines can choose from an ever-growing, versatile, and efficient toolkit of optogenetic circuits.
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spelling pubmed-96140352022-10-29 Light-regulated gene expression in Bacteria: Fundamentals, advances, and perspectives Ohlendorf, Robert Möglich, Andreas Front Bioeng Biotechnol Bioengineering and Biotechnology Numerous photoreceptors and genetic circuits emerged over the past two decades and now enable the light-dependent i.e., optogenetic, regulation of gene expression in bacteria. Prompted by light cues in the near-ultraviolet to near-infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum, gene expression can be up- or downregulated stringently, reversibly, non-invasively, and with precision in space and time. Here, we survey the underlying principles, available options, and prominent examples of optogenetically regulated gene expression in bacteria. While transcription initiation and elongation remain most important for optogenetic intervention, other processes e.g., translation and downstream events, were also rendered light-dependent. The optogenetic control of bacterial expression predominantly employs but three fundamental strategies: light-sensitive two-component systems, oligomerization reactions, and second-messenger signaling. Certain optogenetic circuits moved beyond the proof-of-principle and stood the test of practice. They enable unprecedented applications in three major areas. First, light-dependent expression underpins novel concepts and strategies for enhanced yields in microbial production processes. Second, light-responsive bacteria can be optogenetically stimulated while residing within the bodies of animals, thus prompting the secretion of compounds that grant health benefits to the animal host. Third, optogenetics allows the generation of precisely structured, novel biomaterials. These applications jointly testify to the maturity of the optogenetic approach and serve as blueprints bound to inspire and template innovative use cases of light-regulated gene expression in bacteria. Researchers pursuing these lines can choose from an ever-growing, versatile, and efficient toolkit of optogenetic circuits. Frontiers Media S.A. 2022-10-14 /pmc/articles/PMC9614035/ /pubmed/36312534 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2022.1029403 Text en Copyright © 2022 Ohlendorf and Möglich. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
spellingShingle Bioengineering and Biotechnology
Ohlendorf, Robert
Möglich, Andreas
Light-regulated gene expression in Bacteria: Fundamentals, advances, and perspectives
title Light-regulated gene expression in Bacteria: Fundamentals, advances, and perspectives
title_full Light-regulated gene expression in Bacteria: Fundamentals, advances, and perspectives
title_fullStr Light-regulated gene expression in Bacteria: Fundamentals, advances, and perspectives
title_full_unstemmed Light-regulated gene expression in Bacteria: Fundamentals, advances, and perspectives
title_short Light-regulated gene expression in Bacteria: Fundamentals, advances, and perspectives
title_sort light-regulated gene expression in bacteria: fundamentals, advances, and perspectives
topic Bioengineering and Biotechnology
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9614035/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36312534
http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2022.1029403
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