Lyu Fengting

Logic-signal output of fluorescent proteins for screening antibiotic combinations

A new method to screen antibiotic combinations is demonstrated, which takes advantage of the logic-signal output of genetically engineered drug-resistant E. coli strains expressing different fluorescent proteins. Thirty-six antibiotic combinations for nine antibiotics were investigated. The operation of different logic gates can reveal the susceptibility, resistance, or synergistic effect of the antibiotic combinations in a rapid (7–8 h versus 24–28 h for typical growth-based assays), simple, quantitative and high-throughput manner. This logic-signal-based output patterns provide the basis for novel and reliable screening of antibiotic combinations and help us to both gain insight into the mechanisms of multi-drug action.