Signal peptides for engineered protein secretion by free and hydrogel-encapsulated cyanobacteria.

Signal peptides from S. elongatus enable secretion of heterologous enzymes, with increased extracellular activity observed for both nanoluciferase and laccase variants.

• Why it matters: Efficient secretion of proteins in cyanobacteria can reduce the need for cell lysis and improve environmental interactions, addressing limitations in current bioproduction methods.
• What they did: Researchers identified and fused signal peptides to two heterologous enzymes in S. elongatus, then measured extracellular activity, and encapsulated cells in hydrogel to test enzyme release and pollutant decolorization.
• The result: The study demonstrates that engineered cyanobacteria can secrete functional enzymes, with encapsulated cells successfully releasing enough enzyme to decolorize dye pollutants, broadening applications in bioremediation and bioproduction.