IGEM:IMPERIAL/2008/Projects/Water filter/Pimping: Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 04:25, 10 July 2008
Pimping E.coli
Given updates in other areas and more information on topic, E.coli as a chassis has returned to the decision table, however for use, customisation is required..
What do we need to pimp?
- Active temperature range
- Local area pH
- Increased ability to secrete proteins
- Any other suggestions...
Temperature
To allow E.coli to work for us in a greater temperature range a way of increasing or decreasing the E.coli's temperature and that of the surrounding local environment is required.
This will be best achieve by altering the metabolic or synthetic processes of the E.coli to utilse an exothermic or endothermic reaction pathway to increase or reduce the temperature.
By increasing the working temperature range will allow use of the E.coli in water outside it's normal capacity particularly the cool waters of rivers
Sensing
High Temperature (>XX°C)
Low Temperature (<XX°C)
Response
Exothermic Response (Heat Gain)
Endothermic Response (Heat Loss)
Increased working pH range
A greater pH range is useful in this context as many soils are fairly acidic or alakline, a characteristic that is reflected in the groundwater. An E.coli able to alter the pH around it to a degree would work more efficiently in these conditions.
Sensing
Acidic pH (<5)
Alkaline pH (>11)
Response
Acidic pH (<5)
Alkaline pH (>11)
Secretion
E.coli is a gram-neagtive bacterium and as such has two membranes and a periplasm. The inner membrane is highly permeable but the outer membrane is not, making secretion of non-E.coli proteins more diifcult. An increased protein secreation ability would be useful for our E.coli in case it was necessary to bind or chelate the metals outside the cell (to prevent the cell becoming gummied up or allow precipitation of metal for collection).
To increase the ability of E.coli to secrete proteins, it is likely that porins will need to be incorporated into the membrane however this may be a two edged sword. As proteins will be allowed to diffuse out of the E.coli, other molecules which are normally barred entery may be able to enter and damage or potentially kill our E.coli.
