"
Team:Dundee
From 2013.igem.org
| Line 110: | Line 110: | ||
<span class="caption scale-caption" style="text-align:justify"> | <span class="caption scale-caption" style="text-align:justify"> | ||
| - | <p><b style="font-size:16px;">Human Practices</b><br><br> | + | <p><b style="font-size:16px;">Human Practices</b><br><br>This project has been carried out in collaboration with the community. By informing, listening and responding to their input, our project is based around community defined need, and is not merely a technical exercise. </p> |
</span> | </span> | ||
</div> | </div> | ||
Revision as of 21:37, 28 October 2013
Targeting a Deadly Toxin
Algal blooms occur seasonally worldwide. These blooms are harmful to humans because many of these algae release toxins which affect critical cellular processes with potentially devastating effects. One of the most harmful of these toxins is microcystin, a cyclic peptide produced by the cyanobacteria Microcystis aeruginosa, which permanently disables protein phosphatases 1 and 2A, each of which have integral roles in critical cellular processes such as the cell cycle. This microcystin is a real problem, with the average concentration of microcystin in US lakes with a cyanobacterial bloom being 1000 times over the WHO safe drinking water limit.
Inspired by a harmful algal bloom containing these M. aeruginosa cyanobacteria in the local community, the Dundee iGEM team learnt about how they could use synthetic biology to create a new technology which could potentially solve this problem. Using E. coli, the team built a biological mop for microcystin: ToxiMop. Engineering E. coli to produce PP1 in its periplasm, where it can interact with microcystin and neutralise the toxin.
