Difference between revisions of "Team:Baltimore Bio-Crew"

 
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           <h1>BALTIMORE BIO-CREW</h1>
 
           <h1>BALTIMORE BIO-CREW</h1>
 
           <h4>Bio-Engineering E.Coli To Degrade Plastic and Save The Baltimore Inner Harbor</h4>
 
           <h4>Bio-Engineering E.Coli To Degrade Plastic and Save The Baltimore Inner Harbor</h4>
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                         <h3> Project OverView </h3>
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                         <h3> About Our Project </h3>
 
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Our goal for this project is to genetically engineer E. coli bacteria that can break down plastic. These bacteria could have many different applications, such as: degrading plastic waste from labs that cannot be recycled, being used in a filter to catch and degrade micro plastic fibers from laundry, and breaking down plastic in a marine environment into harmless molecules. We made a lot of progress last year, and this year we plan to build on that progress.
 
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While searching for solutions to the issue of plastic pollution in the Baltimore Inner Harbor, we found a paper by Yoshida et. al. describing a bacteria called Ideonella sakaiensis that was capable of degrading PET plastic into monomers. The bacteria used the enzyme PETase (chlorogenate esterase) to break down PET into MHET, and the enzyme MHETase (Lipase) to break down MHET into ethylene glycol and therephthalic acid. We decided to use the genes from this bacteria for our project.
 
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To avoid the safety risks of working with a relatively undocumented bacteria, we decided to take the plastic degradation genes from I. sakaiensis and put them into K12 E. coli bacteria. We chose E. coli because they are safe to work with and commonly used in the lab. Using the genetic sequence found in the paper, we designed the two plastic degrading enzymes so that they could be expressed in E. coli bacteria. We then had them synthesized and worked on putting these genes into E. coli.
 
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By the end of last year’s competition, we had managed to insert the lipase gene into E.coli, but not the chlorogenate esterase gene. We confirmed that we had correctly inserted the lipase gene using colony PCR and gene sequencing, but we did not have the time to conduct additional assays, such as protein gels, to determine if the enzyme was being secreted from the bacteria. This year, we plan to redesign the chlorogenate esterase and lipase genes so that they contain the proper tags that will allow them to be detected, and a secretion sequence. After we insert both genes into E. coli cells, we will test them to make sure they can secrete the plastic degrading enzymes and degrade PET plastic.
 
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</p>
 
  
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Plastic pollution is a significant problem that not only affects the environment but human health as well. There have been many implementations created in order to eliminate plastic in the Earth’s waterways, but none of the approaches have been successful in collecting microplastics.
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</article>
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<article>
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Microplastics are tiny pieces of plastic debris that occurs after years of plastic degradation in the environment. They also come from cosmetics and cleansers. Even though microplastics seem like they would cause fewer problems, there are extremely harmful due to the toxins that are still present in these tiny particles of plastic.
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</article>
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<article>
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In 2014, researchers at Keio University and Kyoto Institute of Technology discovered a bacterium called Ideonella sakaiensis. This bacteria can use the enzymes PETase and MHETase to degrade polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is the most common type of plastic debris found in marine environments. Instead of using the bacterium Ideonella sakaiensis, we inserted the enzymes into K-12 E.coli cells for safety reasons.
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The genetically modified bacteria is expected to be able to degrade plastic into ethylene glycol and terephthalic acid. We are investigating ways in which these monomers could be used as a possible energy source. The Baltimore Bio-Crew intends to use these engineered E.coli, or the enzymes separated from them, in a bioreactor to degrade PET plastic that cannot be recycled; in a laundry filter to degrade synthetic fibers that come off of clothes; or contained inside of a device to degrade plastic in marine environments such as the Inner Harbor.
  
 
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Sponsers
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Sponsors
 
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</a>
 
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<a href="https://www.rwdfoundation.org/">
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   <img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2016/6/65/T--Baltimore_BioCrew--DeutschFoundation.png" alt="The Robert W. Deutsch Foundation" style="width:100px; height:100px;">
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   <img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2017/6/6c/T--Baltimore_Bio-Crew--fabian_kolker_small_icon.png" alt="Fabian Kolker Foundation" style="width:100px; height:100px;">
 
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   <img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2016/1/1a/T--Baltimore_Biocrew--VWR_Foundation_LOGO.jpeg" alt="VWR Charitable Foundation" style="width:100px; height:100px;">
 
   <img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2016/1/1a/T--Baltimore_Biocrew--VWR_Foundation_LOGO.jpeg" alt="VWR Charitable Foundation" style="width:100px; height:100px;">
 
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<a href="http://vwrfoundation.org/">
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<a href="http://www.marylandrecyclingnetwork.org/">
 
   <img src="https://media.licdn.com/mpr/mpr/shrink_200_200/AAEAAQAAAAAAAAI8AAAAJDY0ZDg0ZjlkLWVlMTItNGI1Mi1iNWEwLWYzMDVlYWMwMTZhZg.png" alt="Maryland Recycling Network" style="width:100px; height:100px;">
 
   <img src="https://media.licdn.com/mpr/mpr/shrink_200_200/AAEAAQAAAAAAAAI8AAAAJDY0ZDg0ZjlkLWVlMTItNGI1Mi1iNWEwLWYzMDVlYWMwMTZhZg.png" alt="Maryland Recycling Network" style="width:100px; height:100px;">
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</a>
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<a href="https://www.rwdfoundation.org/">
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  <img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2016/6/65/T--Baltimore_BioCrew--DeutschFoundation.png" alt="The Robert W. Deutsch Foundation" style="width:100px; height:100px;">
 
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</a>
  
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Latest revision as of 19:34, 19 November 2017


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BALTIMORE BIO-CREW

Bio-Engineering E.Coli To Degrade Plastic and Save The Baltimore Inner Harbor

About Our Project

Plastic pollution is a significant problem that not only affects the environment but human health as well. There have been many implementations created in order to eliminate plastic in the Earth’s waterways, but none of the approaches have been successful in collecting microplastics.
Microplastics are tiny pieces of plastic debris that occurs after years of plastic degradation in the environment. They also come from cosmetics and cleansers. Even though microplastics seem like they would cause fewer problems, there are extremely harmful due to the toxins that are still present in these tiny particles of plastic.
In 2014, researchers at Keio University and Kyoto Institute of Technology discovered a bacterium called Ideonella sakaiensis. This bacteria can use the enzymes PETase and MHETase to degrade polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is the most common type of plastic debris found in marine environments. Instead of using the bacterium Ideonella sakaiensis, we inserted the enzymes into K-12 E.coli cells for safety reasons.
The genetically modified bacteria is expected to be able to degrade plastic into ethylene glycol and terephthalic acid. We are investigating ways in which these monomers could be used as a possible energy source. The Baltimore Bio-Crew intends to use these engineered E.coli, or the enzymes separated from them, in a bioreactor to degrade PET plastic that cannot be recycled; in a laundry filter to degrade synthetic fibers that come off of clothes; or contained inside of a device to degrade plastic in marine environments such as the Inner Harbor.