Team:Bielefeld-Germany/Biosafety/Biosafety System L

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Revision as of 23:17, 20 September 2013

Safety system L (leaky)

The lac repressor/operator system uses E.coli to regulate the production of enzymes and because of this E. coli also regulate its metabolic stress. Enzymes only are produced when they are required. LacI is a repressor which is able to inhibit the lac operon in the absence of lactose by binding to the DNA at the lac operator site called lacO. Because of this repressor DNA polymerase is inhibited so it can’t read the sequences behind the operator lacZ (β-galactosidase), lacY (lactose permease) and lacA (thiogalactosidase transacetylase) which are responsible for transporting and metabolism of lactose in E. coli can’t be transcribed. The structure of the lac operon is shown in the image below.

Structure of lactose operon and regulatory units.

When L-rhamnose is in the milieu where E. coli is located it can be taken up by the RhaT transport system which converts it to L-rhamnulose by the isomerase RhaA. It continues by phosphorylating by the kinase RhaB in rhamnulose-1-phosphate. This is hydrolyzed by the aldolase RhaD into dihydroxyacetone phosphate and lactate aldehyde. Dihydroxyacetone is metabolized in glycolysis, and lactate aldehyde aerobe to lactate. If there are anaerobe conditions lactate aldehyde is reduced to L-1,2,-propandiol. The gene RhaBAD functions as an operon and is transcribed by RhaPBAD. Two activators, RhaR and RhaS, have to be expressed to regulate the system. This expression of these activators is in opposite direction than the expression of rhaBAD. When L-rhamnose is available RhaR binds to RhaPRS and activates the production of RhaR and RhaS. RhaS binds with L-rhamnose as an effector to RhaPBAD and RhaPT promoter and activates the transcription of the structural genes.

L-rhamnose inducible expression system.

Alanine racemase is an isomerase which uses a covalently-bound pyridoxal 5’-phosphate (PLP) cofactor that catalyzes the racemization from L-alanine to D-alanine. D-alanine appears in peptidoglycan which is an important component of the bacterial cell wall.

alanine racemase.

System L in the MFC: In this case the mikroorganism is in the MFC with sufficient L-rhamnose. It comes to an expression of lacI which blocks the lac-promoter by binding and alr which switches L-alanine to D-alanine. Because of the fact that lacI blocks the lac-promoter the RNase Ba can't expressed.

System L outside of the MFC: In this case the mikroorganism could get out of the MFC by damage or incorrect handling. Outside of the MFC there isn't enough L-rhamnose. So... E.coli dies.

References:

Agnes Ullmann (2001): Escherichia coli Lactose Operon. In: Encyclopedia of Life Sciences
Stumpp et al.: Ein neues, L-Rhamnose-induzierbares Expressionssystem für Escherichia coli, In: Biospektrum 6. Jahrgang S. 33