• Protocols
• _{Parts Used in the Project}
• Parts Submitted
• Experiments
• Results
• QC Infomation
• Further Experiments

Introduction

After the 4 stress detecting devices been constructed, our team conducted a series of experiments to test how they react to different stresses that can possibly occur during fermentation. The main focuses were on mis-folded protein, especially in periplasm, shear stress, and oxygen combustion levels of E.coli.

[http://partsregistry.org/wiki/index.php?title=Part:BBa_K239000 Promoter degP] was thought to respond to mis-folded protein in the periplasm of E.coli. Various organic and inorganic chemicals which are suggested to cause protein denaturing in bacteria were used to induce protein mis-foldeding in the experiments. Important chemicals that were involved in our experiments are: Cu2+, Fe3+, NO3-, ethanol (C2H5OH), indole (C8H7N), 1-octanol (C8H18O) and toluene (C6H5CH3).

[http://partsregistry.org/wiki/index.php?title=Part:BBa_K239001 Promoter spy] was thought to possibly detect high levels of shear stress during cultivation in a bioreactor. Additionally, spy showed response to some of the chemicals mentioned above as well.

[http://partsregistry.org/wiki/index.php?title=Part:BBa_K239005 NarK Promoter] is switched on during anaerobic conditions (upregulated 100-fold and a further 8-fold in the presence of nitrate). Consequently, NarK was considered to detect low oxygen level, i.e. anaerobic metabolism. The difference between NarK promoter and mNarK promoter was tested by nitrate in the experiments illustrated below.

Copper 2+ ion & Ethanol Experiments

Aims

Procedures

• In the morning inoculate Blank, DegP, Spy, RPU and TetR in 10mL LB. All except control with 100 micro g/L Kanamycin.
• Prepare CuCl2 0.1Molar and Ethanol 1Molar.
• From that add different concentrations to 96 well micro well plate plus 200 micro litre of culture to reach concentration of:

*Plus one well without chemicals.

• OD of cultures:

Observation

• Immediate result is that RPU loses fluorescent with increasing CuCl2 and loses all florescent for CuCl2 concentrations of 20mM and above and also gain florescent for all Ethanol concentrations with the highest florescent at 600mM (which increases 100%). No other significant result within 1 hour.

• Next morning, RPU has lost all florescent for CuCl2 concentrations of 8mM or above.
• DegP has increased it’s fluorescent by at most 30% for 4mM CuCl2. Spy is silent without stress and induced for CuCl2 concentrations 2-8mM with highest at 4mM.
• All are showing higher values for Ethanol.

High OD E.coli culture with Copper 2+ ion & Ethanol Experiments

Aims

Procedures

• From overnight culture of 2mL Control, DegP, Spy and RPU inoculate into 250 mL shake flasks containing 50 mL of LB. All except control with 100 µg/L Kanamycin.
• Concentrate by adding 2 mL of each culture into 20× 2 mL eppendorf tubes. Spin down at 6000 RPM for 5 min. Discard the media, re-suspend the pellets in 400 micro litre fresh LB and transfer into 50 mL falcon tube. Add 5 % glycerol and incubate for 90 min at 37°C, 300 RPM.
• OD measurement:

• Transfer 1800 µL of each culture into 4 Falcon tubes 15 mL.
• Add 230 µL of 98% ethanol to one of each culture’s 4 tubes to reach 2.5 M Ethanol concentration.

Add 46 µL of 98% ethanol to the second of each culture’s 4 tubes to reach 0.5 M Ethanol concentration.

Add 36 µL of 0.1 M Copper Chloride to the third of each culture’s 4 tubes to reach 2 mM CuCl2 concentration.

Add no chemicals to the fourth tube.

• Add 230 µL of 98% ethanol to one of each culture’s 4 tubes to reach 2.5 M Ethanol concentration.

Add 46 µL of 98% ethanol to the second of each culture’s 4 tubes to reach 0.5 M Ethanol concentration. Add 36 µL of 0.1 M Copper Chloride to the third of each culture’s 4 tubes to reach 2 mM CuCl2 concentration. Add no chemicals to the fourth tube.

Copper optimisation Experiment

Aims

Procedures

• In the morning inoculate Control, DegP, Spy and RPU in 2mL LB. All except control with 100 µg/L Kanamycin.
• After OD measurement dilute to reach OD 0.15-0.17 for all measurements then apply 200 µL × 24 for each culture on a 96-well plate.
• On the 96-well plate: apply different CuCl2 concentrations ranging from 0-11.5 mM with an increase of 0.5 mM for each well.

Cu2+, Fe2+, Cl- Experiment Part I

Aims

Procedures

• Inoculate 30 µL of high concentrated cell culture from refrigerator (OD ca 10) control, DegP, Spy and RPU into 4 mL of LB. DegP, Spy and RPU containing 100 µg/L Kanamycin.
• Make CuSO4 0.1M, FeSO4 0.1M, NH4Cl 0.1M
• OD measurement

• Dilute into 6 mL to reach OD between 0.037 to 0.040.

(DegP, Spy and RPU LB containing 100 µg/L Kanamycin. )

• Add 200 µL of each culture into 24 wells on a 96-well plate.

Leave one well from each without any chemicals.

Add CuCl2 into 7 wells to reach concentrations of 2,3,4,5 and 10 mM.

Add CuSO4 into 8 wells to reach concentrations of 1,2,3,4,5 and 10 mM.

Add FeSO4 into 8 wells to reach concentrations of 1,2,3,4,5 and 10 mM.

Add NH4Cl into 8 wells to reach concentrations of 2,4,6,8,10 and 20 mM.

• Take first Tecan measurement, leave plate on shaking at 37 °C and take another 12 measurements until 20:30 and another measurement the next morning.

Observation

Too low starting OD to get significant values. Next day result shows that the cells seem to survive better in iron than in copper and to be unaffected by NH4Cl.

Cu2+, Fe2+, Cl- Experiment Part II

Procedures

• Repeating yesterday’s experiment but with higher OD.
• Inoculating 50 µL Control, 100 µL DegP, 100 µL Spy and 120 µL RPU (from high OD cultures from refrigerator) into 4 mL of LB media. DegP, Spy and RPU LB containing 100 µ g/L Kanamycin.
• OD measurement:

• Dilute into 6 mL of LB to reach OD 0.22 for all samples.(DegP, Spy and RPU LB containing 100 µ g/L Kanamycin.)
• Prepare the 96-well plate in the same way as yesterday from these samples with higher OD.
• Start Tecan measurements and take 10 measurements (roughly 30 minutes interval) until 19:00.

Observation

At 19:00 the fluorescence for the well with 4mM of CuCl2 has increased 60% for DegP and decreased 33% for RPU. The well with 5mM FeCl2 had also increased with 60% for DegP, possibly slightly for Spy but only decreased marginally for RPU.

Indole Experiment

Aims

Procedures

• Make 0.1 Molar Indole.
• Inoculate: Control, DegP, Spy and RPU from high cell density culture in refrigerator into 5 mL LB.

All except control with 100 micro g/L Kanamycin.

• OD of cultures:

• From 0.1M Indole and 0.1 M CuCl2 add different concentrations to 96 well micro well plate plus 200 µL of culture to reach concentration of:

• From take 5 fluorescent measurements within next 45 minutes with Tecan.

Observation

No results except that RPU fluorescent is decreasing immediately with higher CuCl2 concentrations and seems unaffected by Indole over the time span.

Indole (Nitrate) Experiment

Aims

Procedures

• Inoculate Control, DegP, Spy and RPU from glycerol stock into 5 mL LB. All except control with 100 µg/L Kanamycin.
• Dilute Indole 0.1M to 0.05M and keep it heated at ca 70 degrees Celsius to stay dissolved in the solution.
• At OD ca 1 for the cultures add 200 µL of each culture into 16 wells on a 96-well plate.
• Leave on well for each culture without any chemicals.
• Add 0.1M CuCl2 into 5 wells to reach concentrations of: 2mM, 3mM, 4mM, 5mM, 6mM.
• Add 98% ethanol into 6 wells to reach concentrations of: 3%, 4%, 5%, 6%, 7%, 8%.
• Add warm 0.05M Indole into 6 wells to reach concentrations of: 2mM, 4mM, 6mM, 8mM, 10mM, 12mM.
• Take 6 Tecan measurements between 21:45 and 22:35 while incubating the plate on 37°C, 300RPM.

Observation

No activity for these measurements but the next day (09:40-10:50) the fluorescence is high for Indole 6mM for both DegP and Spy.

Procedures II

• Same preparation as for the experiment above except that the bacteria are inoculated into 20 mL and then concentrated to an OD of 5-6. (Including adding 5% glycerol and letting the cultures readapt for 60 minutes)
• Take 6 Tecan measurements between 19:45 and 22:30 while incubating the plate on 37 degrees Celsius, 300RPM.

Observation II

No stress induced fluorescence could be detected this evening or the next morning but high fluorescent of DegP without stress already by start of the measurements.

Nitrate Experiment

Aims

Procedures

Observation

Oxygen Level Experiment

Aims

Procedures

Observation