Team:US AFRL CarrollHS/Part Collection

Parts BBa_K2594011, BBa_K2594012, and BBa_K2594013 were submitted this year into the iGEM registry. BBa_K2594011 consists of a plasmid capable of sensing and responding to N-butanoyl-L-Homoserine Lactone (C4-HSL), a quorum-sensing molecule prevalent in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Through quorum sensing, the production of CheZ gene allows the microbe to utilize chemotaxis to migrate towards the biofilm. Once within the biofilm, an engineered mechanism of chitinase C1 fused to the N- and C-term domains of Pseudomonas syringae ice-nucleation protein allows for degradation of chitin, a major component of fungal cell walls (BBa_K2594012). Chitinase B4A (BBa_K2594013) allows for variety and encompasses other fungal species, and by allowing both Chitinase B4A and C1 to be expressed, most fungi and bacteria within the biofilm will be eliminated. The three separate parts work as a unit, working to deliver the microbe to the biofilm before deploying two mechanisms capable of effectively eliminating foreign contamination within the biofuel.