Multimodal Control of Bacterial Gene Expression by Red and Blue Light

Abstract

By applying sensory photoreceptors, optogenetics realizes the light-dependent control of cellular events and state. Given reversibility, noninvasiveness, and exquisite spatiotemporal precision, optogenetic approaches enable innovative use cases in cell biology, synthetic biology, and biotechnology. In this chapter, we detail the implementation of the pREDusk, pREDawn, pCrepusculo, and pAurora optogenetic circuits for controlling bacterial gene expression by red and blue light, respectively. The protocols provided here guide the practical use and multiplexing of these circuits, thereby enabling graded protein production in bacteria at analytical and semi-preparative scales.

Keywords: ANTAR; Bacteriophytochrome; Gene expression; Histidine kinase; Light-oxygen-voltage; Optogenetics; RNA binding; Sensory photoreceptor; Synthetic biology; Two-component system.