A major challenge in engineering microorganisms for the desirable product is maintaining the rational balance between cell growth and production. Quorum sensing (QS)-based dynamic regulations provide a pathway-independent genetic control technology to rebalance metabolic flux for biomass and product synthesis. However, the lack of a universal method for screening QS elements and the complex design of autoinduction circuits limit their applications in metabolic engineering. Here, we developed a universal method for simple and rapid screening and evaluating various QS systems from Gram-negative bacteria, and the largest library containing 195 combinations of receiving device/signal molecules was constructed and evaluated in Escherichia coli. A simple logical circuit with different inducer synthesis rates was established to dynamically regulate gene expression levels, leading to efficient protein expression and product synthesis. The system was further applied in Pseudomonas putida, which indicated it could be widely accommodated in other microorganisms. Therefore, the method could be used in diverse Gram-negative strains for the desired biosynthesis.
Keywords: autonomous induction; metabolic engineering; protein expression; quorum sensing.