Aequorin-expressing yeast emits light under electric control

Abstract

In this study, we show the use of direct external electrical stimulation of a jellyfish luminescent calcium-activated protein, aequorin, expressed in a transgenic yeast strain. Yeast cultures were electrically stimulated through two electrodes coupled to a standard power generator. Even low (1.5V) electric pulses triggered a rapid light peak and serial light pulses were obtained after electric pulses were applied periodically, suggesting that the system is re-enacted after a short refraction time. These results open up a new scenario, in the very interphase between synthetic biology and cybernetics, in which complex cellular behavior might be subjected to electrical control.

Publication
Journal of Biotechnology, (152), pp. 93–5, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiotec.2011.01.005
Arnau Montagud
Arnau Montagud
Researcher on Computational Systems Biology

My research interests include Boolean and multiscale modelling, data analyses and data integration.

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