Team:UTP-Panama/Project

THERMOGENIC RESPONSE NUTRIENT BIOSENSOR (THE RENBO)

ABSTRACT

To develop flexible and better sensors for environmental, agricultural and engineering applications are the aims of the UTP-Panama Team “SynBio Engineering Tool Kit”. In this way we work with Nitrate Biosensor (PyeaR - GFP composite) developed by Team BCCS-Bristol 2010, which expresses fluorescent signals upon nutrient detection, producing a high-resolution map of arable land. To achieve this goal we use the collateral effect of the AOX enzyme (Alternative oxidase) mainly designed to generate heat in response to a cold-shock, using the hybB promoter. This effect increases the bacteria growth at temperatures below 20°C.

Finally we design a prototype device with a better cold shock promoter (CspA promoter) developed by UNAM-CINVESTAV Team in 2010, in order to give our E. coli a “Intelligent Coat, which means that not to only survive a cold-shock but to also still been able to keep up with his duty `s, due to improve their expression mechanism at low temperature.

The original idea: July 15

Traditional Engineering fields as Electrical, Mechanical, Civil, Agricultural, etc. have been working for last two centuries separately from Biological develops (life sciences). The UTP-Panama Team is decided to brake this paradigm in the Republic of Panama. To accomplish this goal, the UTP-Panama Team is working to develop what we call "'SynBio Engineering Tool Kit", the manufacturing of engineering tools obtained from biological resources. At this moment, Engineering groups are designing projects in different fields, using the biological devices to improve and solve traditional engineering issues. In this sense, the proposed works are:

Agricultural & Environmental Engineering

• Nitrogen Area: introduce chemotaxis to BioBrick BBa_K381001 develop by the Bristol 2010 iGEM Team, to make a dynamics Nitrate-nitrite sensor. The main goal of this area (future) is to express LegHemoglobine and other nitrogen fixation molecules in E.Coli.

• Phosphates sensing: BBa_K116401 & BBa_K116404.

• pH sensing: Taiwan BacToKidney pH sensors BBa_K116001 & BBa_K116002

Mechanical & Material Sciences Engineering

• Biopolimer Area: continue the Virgina (2008), Utah State (2009) and Insa-Lyon 2010 develop in the field of Bioplastic-Biopolymers through expression genes for PHA, PHA, and PHC.

• Heat Production: uses and improvement of Gatech Biobrick BBa_K410000, on mechanical engineering.

Electrical Engineering

• Biosensing

• Light Sensitive proteins: work with BBa_K191003

• Creation of electrical circuits

Project Details

Part 2

The Experiments

Part 3