Team:Brown/Project Implications

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[[Image:Quorum sensing construct.jpg|195px|thumb|left|Quorum sensing construct with CCDb gene]] This change in S. epidermidis phenotype is accomplished by the S. epidermidis agr operon, which upregulates pathogenicity genes in response to a quorum. We reasoned that we could incorporate a safety mechanism into our bacteria by putting a death gene under the regulation of the agr promoter. This way, whenever the bacteria would reach a high enough density to become dangerous, they would simply begin to die until they reach a safer, lower density. In order to first test that our cassette works, we ligated the agr promoter upstream of GFP, so that whenever the cells reached a quorum, they would fluoresce green. Later, the GFP would be switched out for a CCDb, a death gene.
[[Image:Quorum sensing construct.jpg|195px|thumb|left|Quorum sensing construct with CCDb gene]] This change in S. epidermidis phenotype is accomplished by the S. epidermidis agr operon, which upregulates pathogenicity genes in response to a quorum. We reasoned that we could incorporate a safety mechanism into our bacteria by putting a death gene under the regulation of the agr promoter. This way, whenever the bacteria would reach a high enough density to become dangerous, they would simply begin to die until they reach a safer, lower density. In order to first test that our cassette works, we ligated the agr promoter upstream of GFP, so that whenever the cells reached a quorum, they would fluoresce green. Later, the GFP would be switched out for a CCDb, a death gene.
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==Institutional Biosafety Regulation==
== Institutional Biosafety Regulation ==
== Institutional Biosafety Regulation ==

Revision as of 03:16, 21 October 2009




Contents

Human Practices

Safety Issues

Staphylococcus epidermidis biofilm

This project raises safety issues due to the use of Staphylococcus epidermidis for producing and secreting the histamine binding protein, EV131. Although S. epidermidis is one of the more benign species of Staphylococcus, it can form infectious biofilms that are impervious to antibiotic treatment if its cell density becomes too great. This could pose a grave risk to researchers involved and the public for whom Allergene aims to serve.


Quorum sensing construct with CCDb gene
This change in S. epidermidis phenotype is accomplished by the S. epidermidis agr operon, which upregulates pathogenicity genes in response to a quorum. We reasoned that we could incorporate a safety mechanism into our bacteria by putting a death gene under the regulation of the agr promoter. This way, whenever the bacteria would reach a high enough density to become dangerous, they would simply begin to die until they reach a safer, lower density. In order to first test that our cassette works, we ligated the agr promoter upstream of GFP, so that whenever the cells reached a quorum, they would fluoresce green. Later, the GFP would be switched out for a CCDb, a death gene.



Institutional Biosafety Regulation

Institutional Biosafety Regulation

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