Engineered bacteria that self-assemble "bioglass" polysilicate coatings display enhanced light focusing.
bioRxiv
; 2024 Jun 04.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38895271
ABSTRACT
Photonic devices are cutting-edge optical materials that produce narrow, intense beams of light, but their synthesis typically requires toxic, complex methodology. Here we employ a synthetic biology approach to produce environmentally-friendly, living microlenses with tunable structural properties. We engineered Escherichia coli bacteria to display the silica biomineralization enzyme silicatein from aquatic sea sponges. Our silicatein-expressing bacteria can self-assemble a shell of polysilicate "bioglass" around themselves. Remarkably, the polysilicate-encapsulated bacteria can focus light into intense nanojets that are nearly an order of magnitude brighter than unmodified bacteria. Polysilicate-encapsulated bacteria are metabolically active for up to four months, potentially allowing them to sense and respond to stimuli over time. Our data demonstrate that engineered bacterial particles have the potential to revolutionize the development of multiple optical and photonic technologies.
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Language:
En
Journal:
BioRxiv
Year:
2024
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
United States