Team:UNIST Korea

From 2011.igem.org

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<font size="12"><font color="blue">SELF LESS GMOs</font></font>
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<font size="12"><font color="blue">CHOp-Coli-LATE</font></font>
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Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) pose a significant threat to human health and the environment. Despite being a promising candidate in various processes such as production of drugs and bio-commodities, GMOs do not experience a warm welcome from the human society. Fear of destruction of the natural biota
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Synthetic Microbes
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suppresses all of the benefits offered by GMOs. Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) from GMOs to some pathogenic microbes, which leads to superbugs, is yet another major concern with GMOs. Here, we design a GMO with a built-in triggered-suicide system that is inducible by environmental signals (such as light, oxygen, heavy metals or quorum sensing system). This selfless GMO would kill itself on receiving environmental cues when it is released from its native completely closed system (fermentor or laboratory) to the open system (surrounding environment). We propose the use of a novel suicide platform using the genes coding for the restriction enzyme, DpnI that would chew up all methylated DNAs. This novel suicide platform may help prevent HGT and in turn enhance the potential benefits offered by GMOs.''<br /></font>
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Synthetic Microbes are gaining increased importance in 21 st century. Synthetic Microbes are more promising hosts for fuel production, bioremediation and many other potential processes. There is an increased dependence on the synthetic microbes even for certain basic needs such as medicine and fuels. However, synthetic microbes do not experience a warm welcome from the general public because they are believed to endanger the environment. <br/><br/>
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Synthetic Microbes Can escape
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Recently, microbe-driven fermentation products are gaining increased importance. However, release of these microbes to the open environment would pose increasing threat to the society due to the possibility of changes expected in the indigenous microbial population. Hence, we have engineered a synthetic self-killing system for the famous industrial workhorse, Escherichia coli. High temperature (37⁰C), native quorum sensing molecule (AI-2) and the darkness present in the fermentor will keep the self-killing system turned off. Environmental signals such as low temperature (25 ⁰C), foreign quorum sensing molecules and light encountered by the E. coli outside of the fermentor would trigger the self-killing device. Unlike other lysis device, we have introduced a novel self-killing device that chops up the DNA. Thus, this system would not only favor cell death but also ensure that all the genetic materials are destroyed and guarantee that there would be no horizontal gene transfer.''<br /></font>

Revision as of 02:28, 4 October 2011


CHOp-Coli-LATE

Synthetic Microbes

Synthetic Microbes are gaining increased importance in 21 st century. Synthetic Microbes are more promising hosts for fuel production, bioremediation and many other potential processes. There is an increased dependence on the synthetic microbes even for certain basic needs such as medicine and fuels. However, synthetic microbes do not experience a warm welcome from the general public because they are believed to endanger the environment.

Synthetic Microbes Can escape Recently, microbe-driven fermentation products are gaining increased importance. However, release of these microbes to the open environment would pose increasing threat to the society due to the possibility of changes expected in the indigenous microbial population. Hence, we have engineered a synthetic self-killing system for the famous industrial workhorse, Escherichia coli. High temperature (37⁰C), native quorum sensing molecule (AI-2) and the darkness present in the fermentor will keep the self-killing system turned off. Environmental signals such as low temperature (25 ⁰C), foreign quorum sensing molecules and light encountered by the E. coli outside of the fermentor would trigger the self-killing device. Unlike other lysis device, we have introduced a novel self-killing device that chops up the DNA. Thus, this system would not only favor cell death but also ensure that all the genetic materials are destroyed and guarantee that there would be no horizontal gene transfer.''

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