

Title | Biological nanofactories facilitate spatially selective capture and manipulation of quorum sensing bacteria in a bioMEMS device. |
Publication Type | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 2010 |
Authors | Fernandes, R, Luo, X, Tsao, C-Y, Payne, GF, Ghodssi, R, Rubloff, GW, Bentley, WE |
Journal | Lab Chip |
Volume | 10 |
Issue | 9 |
Pagination | 1128-34 |
Date Published | 2010 May 7 |
ISSN | 1473-0197 |
Keywords | Biological Assay, Cell Culture Techniques, Cell Separation, Equipment Design, Equipment Failure Analysis, Escherichia coli, Micro-Electrical-Mechanical Systems, Microfluidic Analytical Techniques, Micromanipulation, Nanotechnology, Quorum Sensing, Reproducibility of Results, Sensitivity and Specificity |
Abstract | The emergence of bacteria that evade antibiotics has accelerated research on alternative approaches that do not target cell viability. One such approach targets cell-cell communication networks mediated by small molecule signaling. In this report, we assemble biological nanofactories within a bioMEMS device to capture and manipulate the behavior of quorum sensing (QS) bacteria as a step toward modifying small molecule signaling. Biological nanofactories are bio-inspired nanoscale constructs which can include modules with different functionalities, such as cell targeting, molecular sensing, product synthesis, and ultimately self-destruction. The biological nanofactories reported here consist of targeting, sensing, synthesis and, importantly, assembly modules. A bacteria-specific antibody constitutes the targeting module while a genetically engineered fusion protein contains the sensing, synthesis and assembly modules. The nanofactories are assembled on chitosan electrodeposited within a microchannel of the bioMEMS device; they capture QS bacteria in a spatially selective manner and locally synthesize and deliver the "universal" small signaling molecule autoinducer-2 (AI-2) at the captured cell surface. The nanofactory based AI-2 delivery is demonstrated to alter the progression of the native AI-2 based QS response of the captured bacteria. Prospects are envisioned for utilizing our technique as a test-bed for understanding the AI-2 based QS response of bacteria as a means for developing the next generation of antimicrobials. |
DOI | 10.1039/b926846d |
Alternate Journal | Lab Chip |
PubMed ID | 20390130 |