Quorum Production by the Brush E. coli

One of the main purposes of our iGEM project is to bridge the gap between synthetic biology and aesthetic art. In doing so, we want to take synthetic biology one step closer to humanity.

Our final product is E.Casso, a system of two different E. coli engineered with the help of BioBricks. The first E. coli (referred to as the Brush E. coli) acts as the brush and determines the color of the second type of E. coli. The second E. coli (referred to as the Paint E. coli) produces proteins that fluoresce one of four colors green, cyan, yellow, and red. Ideally, a canvas of solid medium will be densely plated with the Paint E. coli and lightly plated or intentionally streaked with the Brush E. coli.

The communication between the Brush and Paint E. coli utilizes an innate system of communication commonly referred to as quorum sensing. In essence, a single Brush E. coli randomly selects one of four quorum, or signaling molecules, representing one of four colors green, cyan, yellow, and red, and sends them out for the Paint E. coli. Then, the Paint E. coli receives the quorum, produces the protein of respective color, and makes more of the same quorum for adjacent Paint E. coli.

The dry lab team modeled E.Casso with computer simulations and mathematical calculations. The steps involved in this model are thoroughly explained in the following sections:

Lists of Modeling