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Team:Dundee
From 2013.igem.org
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<img id="image-6" src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2013/9/9f/MOPTOPUS-ICO-Dundee.jpg" style="width:220px;height:220px;"/> | <img id="image-6" src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2013/9/9f/MOPTOPUS-ICO-Dundee.jpg" style="width:220px;height:220px;"/> | ||
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| - | <p><b style="font-size:16px;">Moptopus</b><br><br> An electronic sensing device that provides a platform for toxin detection. It relates environmental conditions to algal bloom formation and toxicity.</p> | + | <p><b style="font-size:16px;">Moptopus</b><br><br> An electronic sensing device that provides a platform for toxin detection. It relates a range of environmental conditions to algal bloom formation and toxicity.</p> |
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| - | <p><b style="font-size:16px;">Human Practices</b><br><br>Human Practices are sociological, legal, ethical, economic | + | <p><b style="font-size:16px;">Human Practices</b><br><br>Human Practices are sociological, legal, ethical, economic and philosophical dimensions of synthetic biology.</p> |
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Revision as of 20:27, 3 October 2013
The Microcystin Monster
Algal blooms are an ever-growing problem in freshwater systems. At the Beijing Olympics 2008, 10,000 people were hired to clean up the extensive algal bloom in time for the sailing regatta. The main concern is the level of a toxin called microcystin, which is released by cyanobacteria when they die and lyse.
Microcystin, a toxin released by Microcystis aeruginosa, is harmful to mammals due to its ability to bind to the human protein PP1, thus altering its function. We are exploiting the ability of the human protein phosphatase (PP1) to covalently bind to microcystin, in order to develop a biological mop ‘janitor’ to rid algal bloom water of the toxin.
