We have tried to create art as well as present the new art tools for artists. New tools will open the new possibility for art. We want to provide the outstanding painting tools. So far, we have built some fluorescence protein and organic pigments into our art tool ‘colacoli’. We want to make as many painting color tools as possible.

Color is important factor for art. Colors of 'colacoli' is consisted of fluorescence colors and pigment colors. Fluorescence colors are red, green, cyan, yellow, and orange. They are from RFP, GFP, CFP,YFP, and mOrange respectively. We need more colors as possible, but couldn't find DNAs cording fluorescence colors in iGEM parts registry.

So we adopted a different method for colors, that is pigment. Pigment colors are red, orange, yellow, brown, black, and purple.Red, orange, and yellow are carotenoid, brown and black are melanin and purple is violacein colors.

Carotenoid

Carotenoid is a family of natural pigments. Many plants such as fruits and vegetables have this pigments. For example, tomato has lycopene(red), carrot has carotene(orange). Xanthophyll(yellow) is in almost plants.

Biosynthesis of carotenoid pigments starts from FPP(FARNESYL DIPHOSPHATE). FPP is formed from isopentenylpyrophosphate(IPP) and dimethylallylpyrophosphate(DMAPP).

Under construction

Color gradation

We plan the genetic circuit which gradually changes cell color. This gene circuit indicates bellow. This is an application of our signal circuit. Signal system includes 2 distinct groups of parts: 'Senders' and 'Receivers'. The specific promoter in the receiver cells is activated by receiving the AHL signal from the sender cells. (see SIGNAL.)

On this application circuit, the gene coding different color protein from initial color, CI lambda protein gene, and AHL protein gene are on downstream of AHL-activated promoter. CI lambda protein is the repressor of CI promoter which regulates the initial color protein. Therefore, when the signal is received, the cell gradually starts expression of the new color protein and stops expression of initial color protein. In addition, the receiver cells have roles as sender cells against same receiving cell. The signal is conveyed from the cell to the cell. As a result cell color gradually changes.