Team:UT Dallas/Project

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<span class="title_spans">Overview</span><br><br>
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&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Streptococcus mutans has been determined to be the primary contributor to dental plaque and in the formation of dental cavities. <i>S. mutans</i> is able to do this by converting sucrose into lactic acid, contributing to plaque formation. Their capability to rapidly ferment lactic acid under low pH levels helps create cavities in conjunction with adherence to the biofilm. In the oral cavity, biofilms cover a majority of the surfaces. Dextran is the polysaccharide matrix that anchors the bacteria together to create the optimal platform for creation of the biofilm. In order to create the most effective tooth-decay prevention device, we engineered new biobricks to exploit these characteristics of cavity formation due to <i>S. mutans</i>.  
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Cavities have been a problem faced by many people worldwide. Streptococcus mutans has been determined to be the primary contributor to dental plaque and in the formation of dental cavities. S. mutans is able to do this by converting sucrose, which is already available in the mouth, into lactic acid, contributing to plaque formation. Their capability to rapidly ferment lactic acid under low pH levels helps create cavities in conjunction which adherence to the biofilm. <br><br>
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In the oral cavity, biofilms cover a majority of the surfaces. Dextran is the polysaccharide matrix that anchors the bacteria together to create the optimal platform for creation of the biofilm, and subsequently dental caries. Biofilms consist of communities of disease-causing bacteria on the teeth that contribute to dental plaque, causing tooth decay and gum diseases such as gingivitis and periodontitis. By adhering to the enamel of the the tooth, harmful bacteria such as Streptococcus mutans are able to excrete a slimy, yellowish substance called plaque which reproduce to form colonies.
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In order to create the most effective tooth-decay prevention device, we will attempt to create several different potential combinations of our parts to exploit these characteristics of cavity formation due to S. mutans. Possibilities include: creating a constitutive CSP producer, utilizing nspC along with the repression system, or even program nspC to be released upon detection of the CSP quorum signalling molecule by our E. coli. Ultimately, the use of Dex in each of our constructs would facilitate interaction of our chassis with the biofilm environment and aid in destruction of the S. mutans cells.  
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<li onclick="show_info('project_part1');change_color(this)" style='color:#ff7200'>Sugar Sensor</li>
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<li onclick="show_info('project_part3');change_color(this)">Com Sensor</li>
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<li onclick="show_info('project_part2');change_color(this)">Dex and NspC</li>
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<li onclick="show_info('results');change_color(this)">Results</li>
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<b>How They Work:</b> Sucrose is a disaccharide composed of glucose and fructose. The sucrose is converted to lactic acid by S.Mutans which leads to plaque formation and tooth decay. We used operon repressors for both sucrose and fructose to detect the concentrations of both of them. By using the repressor systems, we can detect the formation of plaque and prevent the formation of cavities. We have chosen two repressors for use in this project: FruR, CscR. The FruR gene encodes a protein which normally binds to and represses the fructose operon. When fructose is present in the system, it binds to the FruR protein and prevents it from repressing the operon promoter. CscR works in the similar way, but it will bind to sucrose. <br><br>
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<b>What We Did:</b> We isolated and tested these repressors, FruR and CscR, and their corresponding operons.<br><br>
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Latest revision as of 00:40, 16 October 2013

     Streptococcus mutans has been determined to be the primary contributor to dental plaque and in the formation of dental cavities. S. mutans is able to do this by converting sucrose into lactic acid, contributing to plaque formation. Their capability to rapidly ferment lactic acid under low pH levels helps create cavities in conjunction with adherence to the biofilm. In the oral cavity, biofilms cover a majority of the surfaces. Dextran is the polysaccharide matrix that anchors the bacteria together to create the optimal platform for creation of the biofilm. In order to create the most effective tooth-decay prevention device, we engineered new biobricks to exploit these characteristics of cavity formation due to S. mutans.
How They Work: Sucrose is a disaccharide composed of glucose and fructose. The sucrose is converted to lactic acid by S.Mutans which leads to plaque formation and tooth decay. We used operon repressors for both sucrose and fructose to detect the concentrations of both of them. By using the repressor systems, we can detect the formation of plaque and prevent the formation of cavities. We have chosen two repressors for use in this project: FruR, CscR. The FruR gene encodes a protein which normally binds to and represses the fructose operon. When fructose is present in the system, it binds to the FruR protein and prevents it from repressing the operon promoter. CscR works in the similar way, but it will bind to sucrose.

What We Did: We isolated and tested these repressors, FruR and CscR, and their corresponding operons.

photo sucrstuff_zps30aefeaf.png photo fruRstuff_zpsaf5e8f5b.png

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