Abstract

‘Mutant Ninja.coli’ (A play on ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’)

In our project, we propose to create E. coli that mimic some of the qualities of Japan’s ancient ‘ninja’ warrior-spies.

A ninja must receive and pass on correct information at all times. A mistake will be fatal. We have created a circuit that avoids crosstalk between two signals in cell-cell communication, and we are also looking into applications for it.

Ninjas are also known for their ‘shuriken’ throwing knives. Our E. coli ninja has a similar weapon, an M13 phage which it releases to infect other E. coli, injecting plasmid DNA into them.

Finally, ninja must harmonize with the natural environment, so their relationship to it is very important. Plant hormones help plants to grow efficiently, and we are attempting to construct a circuit that synthesizes two plant hormones depending on the soil environment.