Future Work

The entire system contains odorant producer periodical and sensor. We have designed a micro-flow device, figure 5, including 2 fluidically isolated devices held in close proximity. We consequently define that the effect of distance of distal edge be ignored and the concentration of H₂O₂ across the 2 device is the same. We expect that synchronized oscillations occur in odorant producer, causing that sensing and reporter gene express periodically, modeling the communication between eukaryotes and prokaryotes through odorant.

Figure 5. A diagram of a micro-flow device. During experiment, biopixels of one device contain engineering E.coli and the other carry the yeast of sensor. These devices share no common fluid sources and different media.

Moreover, except the one way communication, we would like to realize the bidirectional between eukaryotes and prokaryotes through odorant or fluid. So, we have came up with a novel story, E.coli produce diacetyl and yeast will directs the synthesis of N-(butanoyl) homoserine lactone (C4-HSL), which then interacts with the cognate RhlR, influencing transcription of target genes aiiA. That results in oscillation in E.coli and S.cerevisiae.

Figure 5. Communication around the synthetic yeast-bacteria ecosystem. S. cerevisiae E. coli cells produce AHL1 thereby activatingα-ALS gene expression in E. coli . Similarly, S. cerevisiae cells produce AHL2 that induces rhl1 gene expression in S. cerevisiae defusing out of S. cerevisiae cells. Product of rhl1 gene, C4HSL, access E.coli cells and activate the aiiA gene, which control the target gene expression.