Synthetic microbiology applications powered by light

ElsevierVolume 68, August 2022, 102158Current Opinion in MicrobiologyHighlights•

Synthetic biological devices can help solve societal issues.

Optogenetics combines the use of light and genetically encoded proteins.

Synthetic biological devices can be controlled by optogenetics.

Light-responsive systems hold promise for both basic research and applications.

Synthetic biology is a field of research in which molecular parts (mostly nucleic acids and proteins) are de novo created or modified and then used either alone or in combination to achieve new functions that can help solve the problems of our modern society. In synthetic microbiology, microbes are employed rather than other organisms or cell-free systems. Optogenetics, a relatively recently established technology that relies on the use of genetically encoded photosensitive proteins to control biological processes with high spatiotemporal precision, offers the possibility to empower synthetic (micro)biology applications due to the many positive features that light has as an external trigger. In this review, we describe recent synthetic microbiology applications that made use of optogenetics after briefly introducing the molecular mechanism behind some of the most employed optogenetic tools. We highlight the power and versatility of this technique, which opens up new horizons for both research and industry.

AbbreviationsUCNs

Up-conversion nanoparticles

bOT

Bacterial optogenetic tool

AsLOV2 domain

Second Light Oxygen Voltage domain of Avena sativa phototropin 1

TGF-β1

Transforming growth factor β1

© 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.

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