Team:Tokyo Tech/BlackenedEcoli

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Main Team Terraforming Experiments [http://partsregistry.org/cgi/partsdb/pgroup.cgi?pgroup=iGEM2009&group=Tokyo_Tech Parts] Safety

Contents

Introduction

One of the famous black pigment is a Melanin which was utilized in a number of organism. Previously. It’s noted that the body color of E.coli was changed from white to black by a large amount of Melanin. Melanin was made by Tyrosinase (EC 1.14.18.1)(melA). Tyrosinase catalyze the first step of Melanin production pathway to make Dopaquinone. After production of Dopaquinone, Melanin is generated by nonenzymatical chain reaction. So, Overexprssion of tyrosinase in E.coli cause a large amount of Melanin. We considered these mechanism enable us to control the Mars temperature, get the heat energy that help to grow bacteria and, protect DNA from UV on the mars surface. Because of Melanin has a high efficiency heat absorption and absorb Ultra Violet.

Purposes

Increase Mars temperature

According to Stefan-Boltzmann law, blackbody emit per surface in unit time is calculated as

σT4,

where T is the temperature of the black body and σ = 5.67 * 10 − 8(W / m2K4) is constant value. The total energy that comes from the sun is calculated as

S(1 − Ar2,

where S = 597(W / m2) is the energy which actually reaches the mars from the sun, A is the albedo of the Mars and r = 3.3972 * 106(m) is the radius of the Mars. Regarding the Mars as blackbody, the radiative equilibrium temperature of the Mars is estimated as

<math>T=\sqrt[4]{\frac{S(1-A)}{4\lambda}}</math>.

According to Yurij Shkuratov and Larissa Starukhina, albedo A can be calculated as

If we succeeded in decreasing the albedo by making the Mars black, the temperature will change as the graph shows. x axis is year and y axis is temperature.

File:Temp.png
temperature estimation

We assume that the albedo decreases as

A = 0.15 * exp( − x).

If we could change the albedo from 0.15 to 0.05, the temperature of the Mars would increase by about 6 Celsius degree.

Get the heat energy

Protect DNA

How to make darker colored E.coli

Utilize Melanin production pathway

Materials and Methods

Bacterial strains and cultivation

Construction of melA expressing vector

Analytical methods

Discussion