SDU Biotechnology, Faculty of Engineering, University of Southern Denmark, Odense M DK-5230, Denmark.
SDU Biotechnology, Faculty of Engineering, University of Southern Denmark, Odense M DK-5230, Denmark.
Biotechnol Adv. 2023 Nov;68:108221. doi: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2023.108221. Epub 2023 Jul 24.
Biosensors are powerful tools to investigate, phenotype, improve and prototype microbial strains, both in fundamental research and in industrial contexts. Genetic and biotechnological developments now allow the implementation of synthetic biology approaches to novel different classes of microbial hosts, for example photosynthetic microalgae, which offer unique opportunities. To date, biosensors have not yet been implemented in phototrophic eukaryotic microorganisms, leaving great potential for novel biological and technological advancements untapped. Here, starting from selected biosensor technologies that have successfully been implemented in heterotrophic organisms, we project and define a roadmap on how these could be applied to microalgae research. We highlight novel opportunities for the development of new biosensors, identify critical challenges, and finally provide a perspective on the impact of their eventual implementation to tackle research questions and bioengineering strategies. From studying metabolism at the single-cell level to genome-wide screen approaches, and assisted laboratory evolution experiments, biosensors will greatly impact the pace of progress in understanding and engineering microalgal metabolism. We envision how this could further advance the possibilities for unraveling their ecological role, evolutionary history and accelerate their domestication, to further drive them as resource-efficient production hosts.
生物传感器是研究、表型分析、改进和原型微生物菌株的有力工具，无论是在基础研究还是在工业环境中。遗传和生物技术的发展现在允许实施合成生物学方法来研究新型的不同类别的微生物宿主，例如光合微藻，这为其提供了独特的机会。迄今为止，生物传感器尚未在光合真核微生物中实施，这使得新的生物和技术进步的潜力未被开发。在这里，我们从已经成功应用于异养生物的选定生物传感器技术开始，预测并定义了如何将其应用于微藻研究的路线图。我们强调了开发新生物传感器的新机会，确定了关键挑战，最后对它们最终实施的影响进行了展望，以解决研究问题和生物工程策略。从研究单细胞水平的代谢到全基因组筛选方法，以及辅助实验室进化实验，生物传感器将极大地推动我们理解和工程化微藻代谢的步伐。我们设想这将如何进一步推进揭示其生态作用、进化历史的可能性，并加速其驯化，进一步推动它们作为资源高效的生产宿主。
