A universal surface functionalization technique to chemically enhance live microbial cells Article Swipe
Gabriel T Vercelli
,
Xingcheng Zhou
,
Stefany Moreno-Gámez
,
Rachel Gregor
,
Jonasz Słomka
,
Akorfa Dagadu
,
Ariel L. Furst
,
Otto X. Cordero
·
YOU?
·
· 2025
· Open Access
·
· DOI: https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.09.16.676682
YOU?
·
· 2025
· Open Access
·
· DOI: https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.09.16.676682
Microbial surface functionalization is a powerful strategy for endowing microbes with novel, non-genetic functions. However, existing methods are often species-specific, limited in scope, and compromise cell viability. Here, we present a universal and modular platform for high-density, reproducible surface functionalization across diverse microbial species—including Gram-positive, Gram-negative, aerobic, and anaerobic bacteria—using multiple molecular classes such as fluorophores, enzymes, and nucleic acids. Our method preserves cell viability, and achieves 50x higher functionalization efficiency than previous methods with a standardized protocol applicable to any azide-containing molecule. Applications of the method show reproducible and tunable phenotypic outcomes at the single-cell level: fluorophore labeling yielded adjustable fluorescence, β-lactamase conferred scalable antibiotic resistance, and DNA coatings modulated adhesion and aggregation. This platform provides quantitative, non-genetic control over microbial phenotypes and complements genetic engineering approaches. It enables new possibilities for microbial design in biotechnology, medicine, and environmental applications where genetic modification is impractical or undesirable.
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- Type
- article
- Language
- en
- Landing Page
- https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.09.16.676682
- https://www.biorxiv.org/content/biorxiv/early/2025/09/17/2025.09.16.676682.full.pdf
- OA Status
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- References
- 50
- OpenAlex ID
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All OpenAlex metadata
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https://openalex.org/W4414306080Canonical identifier for this work in OpenAlex
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https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.09.16.676682Digital Object Identifier
- Title
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A universal surface functionalization technique to chemically enhance live microbial cellsWork title
- Type
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articleOpenAlex work type
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enPrimary language
- Publication year
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2025Year of publication
- Publication date
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2025-09-17Full publication date if available
- Authors
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Gabriel T Vercelli, Xingcheng Zhou, Stefany Moreno-Gámez, Rachel Gregor, Jonasz Słomka, Akorfa Dagadu, Ariel L. Furst, Otto X. CorderoList of authors in order
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https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.09.16.676682Publisher landing page
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https://www.biorxiv.org/content/biorxiv/early/2025/09/17/2025.09.16.676682.full.pdfDirect link to full text PDF
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YesWhether a free full text is available
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greenOpen access status per OpenAlex
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https://www.biorxiv.org/content/biorxiv/early/2025/09/17/2025.09.16.676682.full.pdfDirect OA link when available
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0Total citation count in OpenAlex
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