Abstract.
Cyanobacteria are a major group of photosynthetic bacteria that can accumulate in surface water as so-called "blooms" in response to environmental factors such as temperature, light and certain nutrients such as N, P, and Fe. Some species of cyanobacteria produce toxins, causing a considerable danger for human and livestock health. As a consequence, monitoring of bloom formation and toxin production of drinking water supplies has become a major concern. To enable prediction and monitoring of cyanobacterial blooms, tools to detect nutrient bioavailability in water would be advantageous. A whole-cell biosensor was developed for monitoring nitrate (NO3–) bioavailability in aquatic ecosystems using the recombinant bioluminescent cyanobacterial strain Synechocystis PCC 6803 harboring an insertion of a luxAB-kmr fusion with nblA1 in its chromosomal DNA, leading to PnblA::luxAB-kmr. This reporter strain was designated N1LuxKm. Cells were immobilized in microtiter plates and showed a dose-dependent response to nitrate deprivation. The resultant CyanoSensor could detect nitrate in the 4–100 µM concentration range after a sample incubation time of 10 h under continuous illumination (50 µE m–2 s–1). The optimal temperature for sensor operation was 29°C and the immobilized biosensor could be stored at 4°C in dark for about 1 month without significant loss of sensitivity.
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Mbeunkui, .F., Richaud, .C., Etienne, .AL. et al. Bioavailable nitrate detection in water by an immobilized luminescent cyanobacterial reporter strain. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 60, 306–312 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-002-1139-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-002-1139-9