L-forms

Purpose

To create a BioBrick that enables the conversion of cell-walled B. subtilis cells into L-form cells without their cell walls, and back to walled cells.

Aims

• Design a biobrick which places murE under the control of a controllable promoter.

• Have this designed biobrick synthesised.

• Integrate the designed biobrick into B. subtilis.

• Determine the functionality of the Biobrick in removing the cell wall.

An L-form is a bacterium that has no cell wall. Bacterial morphology is determined by the cell wall, and so their morphology differs from the strain of bacteria from which they are derived, giving rise to a variety of cell sizes. The cell wall is important for cell division. Binary fission is a highly conserved mechanism required for proliferation of almost all cells. Due to the absence of the cell wall, L-forms are easily transformed, so we propose to use inducible L-forms of Bacillus subtilis as a novel chassis.

We are working on four themes which include: Shuffling, Recombination & Endosymbiosis; Introducing and detecting L-forms in Plants; Shape-shifting; Investigating two-component systems in L-forms. Details of the individual themes can be found under "Projects" on the main menu