A Non-Invasive Tool for Real-Time Measurement of Sulfate in Living Cells

Sulfur (S) is an essential element for all forms of life. It is involved in numerous essential processes because S is considered as the primary source of one of the essential amino acids, methionine, which plays an important role in biological events. For the control and regulation of sulfate in a metabolic network through fluxomics, a non-invasive tool is highly desirable that opens the door to monitor the level of the sulfate in real time and space in living cells without fractionation of the cells or tissue. Here, we engineered a FRET (fluorescence resonance energy transfer) based sensor for sulfate, which is genetically-encoded and named as FLIP-SP (Fluorescent indicator protein for sulfate). The FLIP-SP can measure the level of the sulfate in live cells. This sensor was constructed by the fusion of fluorescent proteins at the N- and C-terminus of sulfate binding protein (sbp). The FLIP-SP is highly specific to sulfate, and showed pH stability. Real-time monitoring of the level of sulfate in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells showed sensor bio-compatibility with living cells. We expect that this sulfate sensor offers a valuable strategy in the understanding of the regulation of the flux of sulfate in the metabolic network.