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From 2013.igem.org

Project Description

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The goal of our project is to develop a method using E.coli to degrade polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) into other less toxic chemicals. PAHs are notorious for their damage on the environment and human health. These compounds can be found anywhere, from second-hand smoke to cooking fume. The wide spread and toxicity of PAHs indeed arouse our concern and interest to tackle the issue.

We propose a pathway of PAH degradation, which is carried out by a combination of enzyme laccase and catechol 1, 2-dioxygenase. The final product is a kind of simple carboxylic acid, which is less harmful to human body. Since quinones are generated in the beginning of the metabolism, we use quinone sensing and response repressor (QsrR) to control the degradation process.

Another great highlight of our project is Voltage Switch. In order to increase the efficiency of PAHs degradation pathway, we design a novel switch triggered by electricity. The switch includes differently combined protein domains that regulate the distance between enzymes. It allows fast control of concentration of reaction mixture, thus achieving fast response by electricity. Apart from using Voltage Switch, we also try to link the two enzymes together as a reaction complex by Protein Scaffolding, the project from SJTU 2012 iGEM team.

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