Team:Dundee

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Revision as of 16:12, 25 October 2013

iGEM Dundee 2013 · ToxiMop

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The Microcystin Monster

Algal blooms occur worldwide seasonally. These blooms are harmful to humans is the production of toxins by the algae, 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 made a biological mop for microcystin – ToxiMop – E. coli that expresses PP1 in its periplasm where it can interact with microcystin and neutralise the toxin.

Mop

Mopping up a toxin (microcystin) by engineering a bacterium to produce the human PP1 protein, the protein to which microcystin binds.

Detector

Detecting microcystin by manipulation of the E. coli osmoregulator EnvZ.

Moptopus

An electronic sensing device that provides a platform for toxin detection. It relates a range of environmental conditions to algal bloom formation and toxicity.

Human Practices

Our project was motivated by the restrictions put in place at local reservoirs due to algal bloom outbreaks.

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          <h2 style="margin-top:-10px;"> The Microcystin Monster </h2>
-         <p> 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. <br><br>
+         <p> Algal blooms occur worldwide seasonally. These blooms are harmful to humans is the production of toxins by the algae, 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 <i>Microcystis aeruginosa</i> 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. <br><br>
-        Microcystin, a toxin released by <i>Microcystis aeruginosa</i>, 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.</p>
+Inspired by a harmful algal bloom containing these <i>M. aeruginosa</i> 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 made a biological mop for microcystin – ToxiMop – E. coli that expresses PP1 in its periplasm where it can interact with microcystin and neutralise the toxin.
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