Cloning plant-based biosensor for heavy metal detection on soil

Deliverable D2.2 reports the work done by UR and CNR-IRET on WP2, in particular tasks 2.1 and 2.2. The document describes the strategies to clone multiple plasmid vectors that allowed to introduce in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana the yeast transcription factor YAP8 and a novel synthetic promoter named YAPRE. These genetic elements when triggered by arsenic are able to activate the production of a red pigment thanks to the activation of the reporter RUBY in all areal tissues of Arabidopsis thaliana. This approach delivers a living biosensor capable of visibly indicating the presence of arsenic in soil thanks to plant’s tissues colour shift (greenred in presence of arsenic). Moreover, the document details the genetic strategies employed to render the engineered Arabidopsis thaliana line reproductively sterile, thereby mitigating the risk of uncontrolled propagation in natural ecosystems.