Team:Wageningen UR/Safety/One

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Building a Synchronized Oscillatory System

Safety

Would the materials used in your project and/or your final product pose risks to the safety and health of team members or others in the lab?

The Escherichia coli TOP10 strain used in this project is a derivative of the non-pathogenic K-12 laboratory strain. The likelihood of a human becoming ill is therefore low. The most probable route of transmission would occur by accidental aerosol formation or ingestion. The EPA states the strain is badly retained in the human gut, so the chance of it to become pathogenic by mutations is low (EPA, 2011; Jump to References). Mainly for these reasons, this organism is also classified as BSL 1. When an infection occurs nonetheless, it is important to note that this part of the project involves an oscillation of an extracellular concentration of a quorum sensing molecule, OHHL (an AHL). The OHHL compound is made by the enzyme that derives from Vibrio fischeri’s luxI gene. Quorum sensing molecules play a role in many bacterial infections. This means successful transfer of the oscillator BioBrick device to a pathogen could possibly increase its quorum sensing-related pathogenicity. To get an impression where such pathogenic organisms are found we let the environmental BLAST of NCBI search for luxI homologous regions in Metagenomes (Zhang, Schwartz, Wagner, & Miller, 2000; Altschul, et al., 1997; Jump to References). In marine environments and in soil of a farm, in the U.S. of America, environmental representative organisms appeared to have a luxI-like gene. By using other BLASTs we found human pathogens with a significantly corresponding luxI gene (Altschul, et al., 1997; Zhang, Schwartz, Wagner, & Miller, 2000; Altschul, et al., 2005; Jump to References). These pathogens aren’t representatives of the human gut flora, but they might infect humans by means of contaminated water or food. The pathogens found by the latter Blasts include mainly Vibrio species, for example V. cholerae, capable of causing gastroenteritis. Because of this, the laborants that handle the modified E. coli will be held on close watch. They should be removed from the lab work in case they have the symptoms of gastroenteritis. Anyone that works with the BioBrick system should have his hands cleaned before eating, as always, to prevent transfer of the system to with Vibrio species contaminated food. Continuing, also two differing fish pathogens harbor and a coral pathogen harbors a gene that significantly looks like the luxI gene of the Oscillatory BioBrick system.

Fig.2. A microscopic picture of E. coli cells. The length of a cell is about 2 micrometers. The colours are not real.

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 {{:Team:Wageningen_UR/Templates/Style | text= __NOTOC__
-=== Pathogenicity of host organisms ===
+=== Would the materials used in your project and/or your final product pose risks to the safety and health of team members or others in the lab? ===
-====== '' A. nidulans '' ======
-The filamentous fungus ''Aspergillus nidulans'' (strain pyrG89 argB2 pabaB22 nkuATargB riboB2, ordered from FGSC; A1147) is capable of producing spores. Though the route of infection should be effective, according to Kim et al., disease caused by the micro-organsim is rarely seen in healthy persons (1997 Jun; [https://2011.igem.org/Team:Wageningen_UR/Safety/Nine Jump to references]). Correspondingly, the Dutch ‘Regeling Genetisch Gemodificeerde Organismen' (Regulation of Genetically Modified Organisms) classified ''A. nidulans'' as Biosafety level (BSL) 1 and allows genetical modifications when it's performed in a ML-II lab.
-Project developments may require work with ''Aspergillus niger'' in addition to ''A. nidulans''. This micro-organism is also classified as BSL 1 and is therefore subject to the same safety considerations as ''A. nidulans''.
-[[File:schimmel_op_brood.jpg|200px]]
-'''Fig.1.''' ''Aspergillus nidulans is a green mould that is a common contaminant of starchy foods, such as bread.''
-====== '' E. coli '' ======
-The ''Escherichia coli'' TOP10 strain used in this project is a derivative of the non-pathogenic K-12 laboratory strain. The likelihood of a human becoming infected is therefore low. The most probable route of transmission would occur by accidental ingestion, though the bacterium’s inability to be retained in the human gut decreases the chance of it to develop disease in humans (EPA, 2011; [https://2011.igem.org/Team:Wageningen_UR/Safety/Nine Jump to references]). Mainly for these reasons, this organism is also classified as BSL 1.
+The ''Escherichia coli'' TOP10 strain used in this project is a derivative of the non-pathogenic K-12 laboratory strain. The likelihood of a human becoming ill is therefore low. The most probable route of transmission would occur by accidental aerosol formation or ingestion. The EPA states the strain is badly retained in the human gut, so the chance of it to become pathogenic by mutations is low (EPA, 2011; Jump to References). Mainly for these reasons, this organism is also classified as BSL 1.
+When an infection occurs nonetheless, it is important to note that this part of the project involves an oscillation of an extracellular concentration of a quorum sensing molecule, OHHL (an AHL). The OHHL compound is made by the enzyme that derives from Vibrio fischeri’s luxI gene. Quorum sensing molecules play a role in many bacterial infections. This means successful transfer of the oscillator BioBrick device to a pathogen could possibly increase its quorum sensing-related pathogenicity. To get an impression where such pathogenic organisms are found we let the environmental BLAST of NCBI search for luxI homologous regions in Metagenomes (Zhang, Schwartz, Wagner, & Miller, 2000; Altschul, et al., 1997; [[#References|Jump to References]]). In marine environments and in soil of a farm, in the U.S. of America, environmental representative organisms appeared to have a luxI-like gene. By using other BLASTs we found human pathogens with a significantly corresponding luxI gene (Altschul, et al., 1997; Zhang, Schwartz, Wagner, & Miller, 2000; Altschul, et al., 2005; [[#References|Jump to References]]). These pathogens aren’t representatives of the human gut flora, but they might infect humans by means of contaminated water or food.
+The pathogens found by the latter Blasts include mainly Vibrio species, for example V. cholerae, capable of causing gastroenteritis. Because of this, the laborants  that handle the modified ''E. coli'' will be held on close watch. They should be removed from the lab work in case they have the symptoms of gastroenteritis. Anyone that works with the BioBrick system should have his hands cleaned before eating, as always, to prevent transfer of the system to with Vibrio species contaminated food. Continuing, also two differing fish pathogens harbor and a coral pathogen harbors a gene that significantly looks like the luxI gene of the Oscillatory BioBrick system.
 [[File:E-coli-in-color.jpg]]
-'''Fig.2.''' ''A microscopic picture of E. coli cells. The length of a cell is about 2 micrometers. The colours are not real.''
+'''Fig.2.''' ''A microscopic picture of ''E. coli'' cells. The length of a cell is about 2 micrometers. The colours are not real.''
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