Application of a Bacillus subtilis Whole-Cell Biosensor (PliaI-lux) for the Identification of Cell Wall Active Antibacterial Compounds

Research output: Contribution to book/conference proceedings/anthology/reportChapter in book/anthology/reportContributedpeer-review

Contributors

Abstract

Whole-cell biosensors, based on the visualization of a reporter strain’s response to a particular stimulus, are a robust and cost-effective means to monitor defined environmental conditions or the presence of chemical compounds. One specific field in which such biosensors are frequently applied is drug discovery, that is, the screening of large numbers of bacterial or fungal strains for the production of antimicrobial compounds. Here, we describe the application of a luminescence-based Bacillus subtilis biosensor for the discovery of cell wall active substances; this article is an update to our previous chapter published in 2017. The system is based on the well-characterized promoter PliaI, which is induced in response to a wide range of conditions that cause cell envelope stress, particularly antibiotics that interfere with the membrane-anchored steps of cell wall biosynthesis. A simple “spot-on-lawn” assay, where colonies of potential producer strains are grown directly on a lawn of the reporter strain, allows for quantitative and time-resolved detection of antimicrobial compounds. Due to the very low technical demands of this procedure, we expect it to be easily applicable to a large variety of candidate producer strains and growth conditions.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationAntibiotics
EditorsPeter Sass
Pages259-270
Number of pages12
Edition2
Publication statusPublished - 2017
Peer-reviewedYes

Publication series

SeriesMethods in Molecular Biology
Volume2601
ISSN1064-3745

External IDs

PubMed 36445588

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Keywords

  • Antibiotic, Antimicrobial peptide, Bioassay, Cell envelope stress, Cell wall, Lipid II cycle, Luminescence, Reporter gene, Stress response