Abstract
Environmental pollution poses a persistent global challenge, necessitating innovative and sustainable remediation strategies. Traditional physicochemical methods often prove costly, energy-intensive, and may generate secondary pollutants, while conventional bioremediation, though promising, frequently lacks the specificity, efficiency, and real-time responsiveness required for complex environmental matrices. This study explores the potential of programmable bacterial consortia, engineered through synthetic biology, for the dual function of in situ detection and degradation of environmental pollutants. We designed a multi-species consortium comprising genetically modified *Pseudomonas putida* and *Escherichia coli* strains, equipped with pollutant-inducible genetic circuits for real-time sensing (via luminescence reporters) and robust catabolic pathways for degradation. Quorum sensing mechanisms were integrated to enable coordinated action within the consortium. Experimental validation in simulated sediment microcosms demonstrated superior detection sensitivity (low nanomolar range) and significantly enhanced degradation rates for target pollutants (e.g., phthalate esters and cadmium) compared to individual strains or unengineered consortia. The engineered system exhibited stable performance, adaptive responses to varying pollutant concentrations, and minimal impact on indigenous microbial communities. These findings highlight the transformative potential of programmable bacterial consortia as intelligent, autonomous bio-remediation tools, offering a precise, efficient, and environmentally benign approach to mitigating pervasive environmental contamination.
Keywords
Programmable bacteria, Bacterial consortia, Environmental remediation, Pollutant detection, Synthetic biology, In situ degradation, Bioremediation, Genetic engineering