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Team:Cambridge/home
From 2011.igem.org
Abstract
We investicated the properties of a novel but under-researched group of proteins called reflectins.
Reflectins are interesting because of their self-organising properties, which cause them to produce dynamic structural colour.
We expressed codon-optimised reflectin in E.Coli, and observed the protein's in vivo and in vitro effects.
Structural Colour
Nature’s colours don’t just come from pigments, but from structure too.
Cephalopods camouflage themselves using intracellular, iridescent structures made of proteins called reflectins.
These are the only known proteinaceous materials that use thin film interference to generate colour. They are inspiring a new class of responsive optical materials.
