The ability to induce gene expression in Escherichia coli is a cornerstone of basic and applied research in the life sciences and biotechnology. Optogenetic regulation of gene expression offers additional capabilities such as easy tunability, reversibility, dynamic regulation of induction strength, and the ability to exert control without the expense and potential side effects of chemical inducers. Here, we develop optogenetic circuits for the bacterium Escherichia coli that induce gene expression in darkness and repress it under blue light. Applying them to metabolic engineering improves mevalonate and isobutanol production compared to chemically induced controls in light-controlled fermentations that are scalable to at least lab-scale bioreactors. Furthermore, we show that our circuits can be used to control protein production with light. Our results show that light is a suitable alternative to chemical induction for microbial production of chemicals and proteins.

Optogenetic circuits for dynamic control of Escherichia coli metabolism

ACS Fall 2020 Virtual Meeting

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