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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2020 Nov 28.
Published in final edited form as: Nat Chem. 2019 Nov 25;12(1):48–55. doi: 10.1038/s41557-019-0366-y

Figure 1. A gene circuit-electrode interface for cell-free synthetic gene networks.

Figure 1.

By combining cell-free transcription and translation systems with engineered gene circuits on nanostructured microelectrodes, distinct and multiplexed output signals can be tracked in parallel. This approach uses toehold switch-based RNA sensors, which, in the presence of trigger RNA, express one of ten restriction enzyme-based reporters. Upon sensor activation, expressed restriction enzymes cleave annealed reporterDNA, which is free floating in cell-free reactions, releasing the redox reporter-labelled reporterDNA (blue circle). Nanostructured microelectrodes with conjugated captureDNA then recruit the redox-active reporterDNA to their surface, generating an electrochemical signal. Each toehold switch is engineered to produce a unique restriction enzyme-based reporter that is coupled to a distinct reporterDNA and captureDNA pair for multiplexed signaling