iGEM Team Amsterdam 2011

“Make biology simple with genetically engineered machines”

Our project

Escherichia coli's optimal growth temperature is 37°C. Its growth rate decreases sharply at temperatures deviating from this optimum, and growth beneath 8°C is impossible for wildtype E. coli. The aim of the project is to increase the cold tolerance of E. coli, effectively extending the growth curve as shown below. This will be attempted by expressing several different (combinations of) synthesized genes, through standardized plasmids. Succesfully manipulating E. coli's cold tolerance is valuable to both fundamental and applied science. Among others, it enhances the possibilities of heterologous protein expression, and it might lead towards more efficient biosynthesis of various heat-sensitive compounds (such as antibiotics).

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