(335f) Medium-Throughput Detection of Microbially Produced Serotonin Via a GPCR-Based Sensor

Improving the biosynthetic performance of chemical-producing microbes is limited due to reliance on low-throughput screening technologies (~100 samples per day) to assess the microbial production of chemicals. Chemical biosensors, where chemical detection triggers a fluorescent signal, has the potential to accelerate the screening process. Recently we developed G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR)-based chemical sensors by coupling human GPCRs to the yeast cell machinery to trigger cell fluorescence upon chemical binding. Here, we engineer a GPCR-based sensor for serotonin and apply it to the detection of microbially produced serotonin in a medium-throughput fashion (96-well plates). Validation of the serotonin sensor for medium-throughput screening applications using 96-well plates sets the stage for the rapid engineering of microbes for the production of serotonin using sensor-guided engineering.