Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (WCFS1)
A GRAS probiotic lactic acid bacterium that persists in the gut better than L. lactis. Robust to gut bile and acid, making it a strong chassis for ingestible clinical/gut biosensors and fermented-food monitoring.
Identity
- Species
- Lactiplantibacillus plantarum
- Strain
- WCFS1
- NCBI taxid
- 220668
- Genome
- GCF_000203855.3
Safety
- Biosafety level
- BSL-1
- Pathogenic
- No
- GRAS
- Yes — EFSA QPS; widespread probiotic and food-fermentation use.
- Probiotic
- Yes — Common probiotic supplement; fermented foods.
- Biocontainment
- Auxotrophy (e.g. alr/dapA) and food-grade containment demonstrated.
- BSL-1 basis
- ABSA Risk Group 1; EFSA QPS.
Gram-positive, bile/acid-tolerant; better gut persistence than L. lactis.
Traits
- Gram
- positive
- Oxygen
- facultative
- Optimal temp
- 37 °C
- Doubling time
- ~60 min
- Spore-forming
- No
- Transformable
- Yes
Engineering
- CRISPR tooling
- CRISPRi and CRISPR base editing demonstrated in lactobacilli.
- Common promoters
- PsppA (SppIP-inducible, pSIP), P11 (constitutive)
- Selection markers
- ErmR, CmR
- Toolkits
- pSIP expression system
Biosensors using this chassis
Riboflavin (B2) sensor (FMN riboswitch + CRISPRa)
Detects riboflavin / FMN (vitamin B2) in food and the gut. The natural FMN riboswitch gates a CRISPRa circuit driving a fluorescent reporter, in the gut-persistent probiotic Lactiplantibacillus plantarum.
Thiamine (B1) sensor (TPP riboswitch + CRISPRi)
Detects thiamine pyrophosphate (vitamin B1) in food and the gut using the natural TPP riboswitch — the most widespread riboswitch class — gating a CRISPRi circuit driving a fluorescent reporter, in probiotic Lactiplantibacillus plantarum.
Vitamin B12 sensor (cobalamin riboswitch + CRISPRa)
Detects vitamin B12 (cobalamin) in food and the gut. The natural cobalamin riboswitch gates a CRISPRa circuit driving a fluorescent reporter, in the gut-persistent probiotic Lactiplantibacillus plantarum.