Sensors for Intracellular Metabolite Detection

Simple SummaryContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

This patent describes genetically engineered cells that express an autofluorescent protein (such as GFP or related variants). The expression of this protein is directly linked to the intracellular concentration of a specific metabolite. When a cell overproduces the metabolite (due to targeted or random genetic modification), the fluorescent signal is increased, enabling rapid detection and sorting of cells with desired metabolic properties. This system can use either promoter-based transcriptional regulation or metabolite-binding riboswitches to couple metabolite concentration to reporter fluorescence. Methods are also described for using this system to identify, sort, and further modify cells for optimized metabolite production.

Use CasesContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Screening and selection of microbial strains that overproduce specific metabolites (such as amino acids like L-lysine or L-methionine, nucleotides, fatty acids, or carbohydrates) for industrial biotechnology applications.
• Development of high-throughput assays to identify beneficial mutations in metabolic engineering projects.
• Creation of sensor strains for monitoring intracellular metabolite levels in research or manufacturing environments.
• Use in synthetic biology for circuit validation, metabolite pathway engineering, or optimization of fermentation processes.
• Application in food, pharmaceutical, and feed industries to develop strains producing essential nutrients or fine chemicals more efficiently.
• Generation of rapid screening tools for academic or industrial labs seeking microorganisms with high production potential.

BenefitsContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Allows rapid, sensitive, and high-throughput identification of cells with elevated metabolite production without the need for labor-intensive chemical analyses.
• Enables direct screening for target traits (e.g., increased amino acid production) at the single-cell level using flow cytometry or related techniques.
• Can be adapted to a wide range of metabolites and host organisms (bacteria, yeasts, etc.), making the system versatile for multiple biotechnological workflows.
• Reduces research and production costs and timelines by replacing traditional, low-throughput, and expensive screening methods.
• Facilitates discovery and identification of new beneficial genetic mutations that improve metabolite production.
• Improves the efficiency of developing optimized production strains for use in large-scale industrial fermentations.

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Patent Abstract

The present invention relates to a cell which has been modified recombinantly over its wild type and which comprises a gene sequence coding for an autofluorescent protein, the expression of the autofluorescent protein being dependent on the intracellular concentration of a specific metabolite. The present invention also relates to a method of identifying a cell with an increased intracellular concentration of a specific metabolite, to a method of generating a cell which has been modified recombinantly over its wild type and which demonstrates optimized production of a specific metabolite, to a cell obtained by this method, to a process for the production of metabolites, and to a process for the preparation of a mixture.