B cells using calcium signaling for specific and rapid detection of Escherichia coli O157:H7

Abstract

A rapid and sensitive detection technology is highly desirable for specific detection of E. coli O157:H7, one of the leading bacterial pathogens causing foodborne illness. In this study, we reported the rapid detection of E. coli O157:H7 by using calcium signaling of the B cell upon cellular membrane anchors anti-E. coli O157:H7 IgM. The binding of E. coli O157:H7 to the IgM on B cell surface activates the B cell receptor (BCR)-induced Ca 2+ signaling pathway and results in the release of Ca 2+ within seconds. The elevated intracellular Ca 2+ triggers Fura-2, a fluorescent Ca 2+ indicator, for reporting the presence of pathogens. The Fura-2 is transferred to B cells before detection. The study demonstrated that the developed B cell based biosensor was able to specifically detect E. coli O157:H7 at the low concentration within 10 min in pure culture samples. Finally, the B cell based biosensor was used for the detection of E. coli O157:H7 in ground beef samples. With its short detection time and high sensitivity at the low concentration of the target bacteria, this B cell biosensor shows promise in future application of the high throughput and rapid food detection, biosafety and environmental monitoring.