Team:US AFRL CarrollHS/Composite Part
Part: PRhl_31_CheZ_J23117_34_RhlR
Bba_K2594011
The plasmid senses and responds to N-butanoyl-L-Homoserine Lactone (C4-HSL), a quorum sensing molecule that is present in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a common component of biofilms. The J23117 promoter constitutively expresses RhlR, which activates the PRhl promoter site when bound to C4-HSL. Once quorum sensing signals are detected, the production of CheZ, a protein responsible for chemotactic ability, begins. As the plasmid senses C4-HSL, the microbe begins moving in a straight-line path along the concentration gradient. If the microbe leaves the concentration gradient, it will begin tumbling again until it enters back into the gradient, eventually arriving at the biofilm.