Team:Toronto

From 2013.igem.org

Project Description

Microorganisms frequently adopt a lifestyle in which they produce biofilm; excreting extracellular biopolymers allows them to accumulate and adhere to surfaces. Biofilms provide microbes with nutrients and protection for greater survival under conditions of environmental stress. We are researching the pathways that induce biofilm formation and maturation in E. coli, with the goal of modulating surface-specific adhesion of E. coli biofilms. To this end, we are constructing and characterising E. coli strains, which contain targeted deletions or overexpress recombinant proteins that are critically involved in biofilm pathways – including the production of adhesion proteins and excretion of matrix polysaccharides. In response to environmental stimuli such as temperature, blue light, and sodium, the phenotype of each mutant E. coli strain will be quantified. The control of biofilm formation will have applications for engineering surface-specific adhesion in bioremediation, which we are pursuing in a related project on heavy metal precipitation. In a larger context, we are establishing the use of BioBricks to manipulate an entire, complex biological system.