A CHROMOSOMALLY BASED TOD-LUXCDABE WHOLE-CELL REPORTER FOR BENZENE, TOLUENE, ETHYBENZENE, AND XYLENE (BTEX) SENSING

A tod-luxCDABE fusion was constructed and introduced into the chromoso me of Pseudomonas putida F1, yielding the strain TVAS, This strain was used to examine the induction of the fod operon when exposed to benze ne, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX) compounds and aqueous sol utions of JP-4 jet fuel constituents, Since this system contained the complete lax cassette (luxCDABE), bacterial bioluminescence in respons e to putative chemical inducers of the fod operon was measured on-line in whole cells without added aldehyde substrate. There was an increas ing response to toluene concentrations from 30 mu g/liter to 50 mg/lit er, which began to saturate at higher concentrations, The detection li mit was 30 mu g/liter. There was a significant light response to benze ne, m and p-xylenes, phenol, and water-soluble JP-4 jet fuel component s, but there was no bioluminescence response upon exposure to o-xylene , The transposon insertion was stable and had no negative effect on ce ll growth.