Engineering intercellular communication using M13 phagemid and CRISPR-based gene regulation for multicellular computing in Escherichia coli.

Details

Serval ID
serval:BIB_203A4DFD1A98
Type
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Collection
Publications
Institution
Title
Engineering intercellular communication using M13 phagemid and CRISPR-based gene regulation for multicellular computing in Escherichia coli.
Journal
Nature communications
Author(s)
Kusumawardhani H., Zoppi F., Avendaño R., Schaerli Y.
ISSN
2041-1723 (Electronic)
ISSN-L
2041-1723
Publication state
Published
Issued date
15/04/2025
Peer-reviewed
Oui
Volume
16
Number
1
Pages
3569
Language
english
Notes
Publication types: Journal Article
Publication Status: epublish
Abstract
Engineering multicellular consortia, where information processing is distributed across specialized cell types, offers a promising strategy for implementing sophisticated biocomputing systems. However, a major challenge remains in establishing orthogonal intercellular communication, or "wires," within synthetic bacterial consortia. In this study, we address this bottleneck by integrating phagemid-mediated intercellular communication with CRISPR-based gene regulation for multicellular computing in synthetic E. coli consortia. We achieve intercellular communication with high sensitivity by regulating the transfer of single guide RNAs (sgRNAs) encoded on M13 phagemids from sender to receiver cells. Once inside the receiver cells, the transferred sgRNAs mediate gene regulation via CRISPR interference. Leveraging this approach, we successfully constructed one-, two-, and four-input logic gates. Our work expands the toolkit for intercellular communication and paves the way for complex information processing in synthetic microbial consortia, with diverse potential applications, including biocomputing, biosensing, and biomanufacturing.
Keywords
Escherichia coli/genetics, Escherichia coli/physiology, CRISPR-Cas Systems/genetics, RNA, Guide, CRISPR-Cas Systems/genetics, Cell Communication/genetics, Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial, Synthetic Biology/methods, Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats/genetics, Computers, Molecular, Genetic Engineering/methods
Pubmed
Web of science
Open Access
Yes
Create date
02/05/2025 11:41
Last modification date
03/05/2025 7:09
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