Project description:Using a synthetic biosensor to couple production of a specific metabolite with cell growth, we spontaneously evolved cells under the selective condition toward the acquisition of genotypes that optimally reallocated cellular resources. Using 3-hydroxypropionic acid (3-HP) production from glycerol in Escherichia coli as a model system, we determined that spontaneous mutations in the conserved regions of proteins involved in global transcriptional regulation altered the expression of several genes associated with central carbon metabolism. Our study provides a new perspective on adaptive laboratory evolution (ALE) using synthetic biosensors, thereby supporting future efforts in metabolic pathway optimization.
