Engineered bacteria that self-assemble bioglass polysilicate coatings display enhanced light focusing

Cutting-edge photonic devices frequently rely on microparticle components to focus and manipulate light. Conventional methods used to produce these microparticle components frequently offer limited control of their structural properties or require low-throughput nanofabrication of more complex structures. Here, we employ a synthetic biology approach to produce environmentally friendly, living microlenses with tunable structural properties. We engineered Escherichia coli bacteria to display the silica biomineralization enzyme silicatein from aquatic sea sponges. Our silicatein-expressing bacteria can self-assemble a shell of polysilicate “bioglass” around themselves. Remarkably, the polysilicate-encapsulated bacteria can focus light into intense nanojets that are nearly an order of magnitude brighter than unmodified bacteria. Polysilicate-encapsulated bacteria are metabolically active for up to 4 mo, potentially allowing them to sense and respond to stimuli over time. Our data demonstrate that synthetic biology offers a pathway for producing inexpensive and durable photonic components that exhibit unique optical properties.