Transforming cyanobacteria into bioreporters of biological relevance

Microbial bioreporters play an important role in environmental monitoring and ecotoxicology. Microorganisms that are genetically modified with reporter genes can be used in various formats to determine the bioavailability of chemicals and their effect on living organisms. Cyanobacteria are abundant in the photosynthetic biosphere and have considerable potential with regards to broadening bioreporter applications. Two recent studies described novel cyanobacterial reporters for the detection of environmental toxicants and iron availability.