Electronic control of gene expression and cell behaviour in Escherichia coli through redox signalling

TLDR

Electronic–ionic interconversion has enabled recording and actuating biological function, and synthetic biology aims to expand this communication bandwidth by accessing redox‑based cell signals, yet bidirectional electronic–biological communication remains largely untapped. The authors introduce an electrogenetic device that uses redox biomolecules to transmit electronic information to engineered *E. coli*, enabling control of transcription from a synthetic gene circuit. The device delivers redox signals that modulate the activity of the native transcriptional regulator SoxR, thereby driving transcription from the PsoxS promoter.

Abstract

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 P soxS 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.