Detecting Changes in the Caenorhabditis elegans Intestinal Environment Using an Engineered Bacterial Biosensor.

ABSTRACT: Caenorhabditis elegans has become a key model organism within biology. In particular, the transparent gut, rapid growing time, and ability to create a defined gut microbiota make it an ideal candidate organism for understanding and engineering the host microbiota. Here we present the development of an experimental model that can be used to characterize whole-cell bacterial biosensors in vivo. A dual-plasmid sensor system responding to isopropyl β-d-1-thiogalactopyranoside was developed and fully characterized in vitro. Subsequently, we show that the sensor was capable of detecting and reporting on changes in the intestinal environment of C. elegans after introducing an exogenous inducer into the environment. The protocols presented here may be used to aid the ra

SUBMITTER: Rutter JW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6929061 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature