This project aims to develop an organic genetically modified machine that have the capacity to function as a biosensor. This biosensor will be useful in biotechnological and research processes. Thanks to Synthetic Biology techniques, it is possible to create a microorganism with the ability to gain luminescent stimuli in order to visually report them through chromoproteins production. Since it is a modular project, it is very likely to adapt it with the main goal to respond to other stimuli, as pollution agents and other chemicals.
Since the light receptors and the corresponding transcription factors are not part of the Escherichia coli’s genome, it is necessary to synthesize them with constitutive promoters in order to have them all the time. These receptors are specifically blue and red light receptors, and both of them phosphorylate the corresponding transcription factors in darkness or absence of the light wave the receptors sense. As the receptors sense not the light, but the absence of it, we have switched the chromoproteins with the receptors. In few words, if there is not blue light the production of pink proteins starts, and if there is not red light the production of yellow proteins starts as well.
The expected results are the next ones:
Presence of darkness or any other color: Yellow and pink chromoproteins production (pastel orangish color).
Presence of red light: Stop of the blue chromoproteins production (Pink color).
Presence of blue light: Stop of the red chromoproteins production (Yellow color).
Presence of blue and red light: Stop of pink and yellow chromoproteins.
After the construction of the plasmids and the proper assembly in lab, it will be necessary to create a light canon. This light canon should be small to put it into an incubator and also should have the feature to be customizable to have different designs and test the cells are doing what are supposed to.
The future of this project is that other iGEM team with the use of synthetic biology could switch the light receptors with other kind of receptors, as pollutants, other chemicals, etc… and at the end it will become in a very functional biosensor capable of sensing different things simultaneously.
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Why Art?
This project aims to develop an organic genetically modified machine that have the capacity to function as a biosensor. This biosensor will be useful in biotechnological and research processes. Thanks to Synthetic Biology techniques, it is possible to create a microorganism with the ability to gain luminescent stimuli in order to visually report them through chromoproteins production. Since it is a modular project, it is very likely to adapt it with the main goal to respond to other stimuli, as pollution agents and other chemicals.
Since the light receptors and the corresponding transcription factors are not part of the Escherichia coli’s genome, it is necessary to synthesize them with constitutive promoters in order to have them all the time. These receptors are specifically blue and red light receptors, and both of them phosphorylate the corresponding transcription factors in darkness or absence of the light wave the receptors sense. As the receptors sense not the light, but the absence of it, we have switched the chromoproteins with the receptors. In few words, if there is not blue light the production of red proteins starts, and if there is not red light the production of blue proteins starts as well.
We have decided to add one more color: yellow. And we added this color without a yellow light receptor, but with a system of siRNA’s in the others systems. We also are planning to synthesize this yellow protein constitutively and when other system turn on, also the siRNA’s will be transcribed and will stop the translation of yellow protein.
