Differential Detection of Bioavailable Mercury and Cadmium Based on a Robust Dual-Sensing Bacterial Biosensor
Genetically programmed biosensors have been widely used to monitor bioavailable heavy metal pollutions in terms of their toxicity to living organisms. Most bacterial biosensors were initially designed to detect specific heavy metals such as mercury and cadmium. However, most available biosensors fai...
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| Format: | Article |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-04-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Microbiology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2022.846524/full |
| _version_ | 1811309762368765952 |
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| author | Chang-ye Hui Yan Guo Han Li Yu-ting Chen Juan Yi |
| author_facet | Chang-ye Hui Yan Guo Han Li Yu-ting Chen Juan Yi |
| author_sort | Chang-ye Hui |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Genetically programmed biosensors have been widely used to monitor bioavailable heavy metal pollutions in terms of their toxicity to living organisms. Most bacterial biosensors were initially designed to detect specific heavy metals such as mercury and cadmium. However, most available biosensors failed to distinguish cadmium from various heavy metals, especially mercury. Integrating diverse sensing elements into a single genetic construct or a single host strain has been demonstrated to quantify several heavy metals simultaneously. In this study, a dual-sensing construct was assembled by employing mercury-responsive regulator (MerR) and cadmium-responsive regulator (CadR) as the separate sensory elements and enhanced fluorescent protein (eGFP) and mCherry red fluorescent protein (mCherry) as the separate reporters. Compared with two corresponding single-sensing bacterial sensors, the dual-sensing bacterial sensor emitted differential double-color fluorescence upon exposure to 0–40 μM toxic Hg(II) and red fluorescence upon exposure to toxic Cd(II) below 200 μM. Bioavailable Hg(II) could be quantitatively determined using double-color fluorescence within a narrow concentration range (0–5 μM). But bioavailable Cd(II) could be quantitatively measured using red fluorescence over a wide concentration range (0–200 μM). The dual-sensing biosensor was applied to detect bioavailable Hg(II) and Cd(II) simultaneously. Significant higher red fluorescence reflected the predominant pollution of Cd(II), and significant higher green fluorescence suggested the predominant pollution of Hg(II). Our findings show that the synergistic application of various sensory modules contributes to an efficient biological device that responds to concurrent heavy metal pollutants in the environment. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T09:46:48Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b7370ef7b762489290a31b1022155bdb |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-302X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T09:46:48Z |
| publishDate | 2022-04-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
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| series | Frontiers in Microbiology |
| spelling | doaj.art-b7370ef7b762489290a31b1022155bdb2022-12-22T02:51:43ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Microbiology1664-302X2022-04-011310.3389/fmicb.2022.846524846524Differential Detection of Bioavailable Mercury and Cadmium Based on a Robust Dual-Sensing Bacterial BiosensorChang-ye Hui0Yan Guo1Han Li2Yu-ting Chen3Juan Yi4Department of Pathology and Toxicology, Shenzhen Prevention and Treatment Center for Occupational Diseases, Shenzhen, ChinaNational Key Clinical Specialty of Occupational Diseases, Shenzhen Prevention and Treatment Center for Occupational Diseases, Shenzhen, ChinaCollege of Lab Medicine, Hebei North University, Zhangjiakou, ChinaDepartment of Pathology and Toxicology, Shenzhen Prevention and Treatment Center for Occupational Diseases, Shenzhen, ChinaDepartment of Pathology and Toxicology, Shenzhen Prevention and Treatment Center for Occupational Diseases, Shenzhen, ChinaGenetically programmed biosensors have been widely used to monitor bioavailable heavy metal pollutions in terms of their toxicity to living organisms. Most bacterial biosensors were initially designed to detect specific heavy metals such as mercury and cadmium. However, most available biosensors failed to distinguish cadmium from various heavy metals, especially mercury. Integrating diverse sensing elements into a single genetic construct or a single host strain has been demonstrated to quantify several heavy metals simultaneously. In this study, a dual-sensing construct was assembled by employing mercury-responsive regulator (MerR) and cadmium-responsive regulator (CadR) as the separate sensory elements and enhanced fluorescent protein (eGFP) and mCherry red fluorescent protein (mCherry) as the separate reporters. Compared with two corresponding single-sensing bacterial sensors, the dual-sensing bacterial sensor emitted differential double-color fluorescence upon exposure to 0–40 μM toxic Hg(II) and red fluorescence upon exposure to toxic Cd(II) below 200 μM. Bioavailable Hg(II) could be quantitatively determined using double-color fluorescence within a narrow concentration range (0–5 μM). But bioavailable Cd(II) could be quantitatively measured using red fluorescence over a wide concentration range (0–200 μM). The dual-sensing biosensor was applied to detect bioavailable Hg(II) and Cd(II) simultaneously. Significant higher red fluorescence reflected the predominant pollution of Cd(II), and significant higher green fluorescence suggested the predominant pollution of Hg(II). Our findings show that the synergistic application of various sensory modules contributes to an efficient biological device that responds to concurrent heavy metal pollutants in the environment.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2022.846524/fullwhole-cell biosensordual-sensingbioavailabilitymercurycadmium |
| spellingShingle | Chang-ye Hui Yan Guo Han Li Yu-ting Chen Juan Yi Differential Detection of Bioavailable Mercury and Cadmium Based on a Robust Dual-Sensing Bacterial Biosensor Frontiers in Microbiology whole-cell biosensor dual-sensing bioavailability mercury cadmium |
| title | Differential Detection of Bioavailable Mercury and Cadmium Based on a Robust Dual-Sensing Bacterial Biosensor |
| title_full | Differential Detection of Bioavailable Mercury and Cadmium Based on a Robust Dual-Sensing Bacterial Biosensor |
| title_fullStr | Differential Detection of Bioavailable Mercury and Cadmium Based on a Robust Dual-Sensing Bacterial Biosensor |
| title_full_unstemmed | Differential Detection of Bioavailable Mercury and Cadmium Based on a Robust Dual-Sensing Bacterial Biosensor |
| title_short | Differential Detection of Bioavailable Mercury and Cadmium Based on a Robust Dual-Sensing Bacterial Biosensor |
| title_sort | differential detection of bioavailable mercury and cadmium based on a robust dual sensing bacterial biosensor |
| topic | whole-cell biosensor dual-sensing bioavailability mercury cadmium |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2022.846524/full |
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