Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-0606, USA.
Curr Opin Microbiol. 2010 Apr;13(2):240-5. doi: 10.1016/j.mib.2010.01.003. Epub 2010 Feb 9.
Two-component signal transduction systems are a common type of signaling system in prokaryotes; the typical cell has dozens of systems regulating aspects of physiology and controlling responses to environmental conditions. In this review, I consider how these systems may be useful for engineering novel cell functions. Examples of successful incorporation of two-component systems into engineered systems are noted, and features of the systems that favor or hinder potential future use of these signaling systems for synthetic biology applications are discussed. The focus will be on the engineering of novel couplings of sensory functions to signaling outputs. Recent successes in this area are noted, such as the development of light-sensitive transmitter proteins and chemotactic receptors responsive to nitrate.
双组分信号转导系统是原核生物中常见的信号系统类型；典型的细胞有数十种系统调节生理的各个方面，并控制对环境条件的反应。在这篇综述中，我考虑了这些系统如何用于工程新的细胞功能。注意到了将双组分系统成功纳入工程系统的例子，并讨论了有利于或阻碍这些信号系统在合成生物学应用中潜在未来使用的系统特征。重点将放在将感觉功能与信号输出进行新的耦合的工程上。注意到了这方面的最新成功，例如开发对光敏感的递质蛋白和对硝酸盐有反应的趋化性受体。
