Team:Cadets2Vets/Demonstrate

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Demonstrate - Home


Demonstrate



Our circuit was designed to utilize specific parts so that when the E. coli cells containing this gene circuit are exposed to arsenic, the Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) is produced making the ticket glow under a blue light.





Cadets2Vets has built a biological arsenic circuit that uses a combination of native DH5-alpha E. coli genes to detect arsenic ions in solution and genetic elements capable of producing GFP (Green Fluorescent Protein). After reading through academic literature, our team found a negative repressor that could be used as an arsenic regulator known as ArsR. Sensitive to arsenic ions, this protein will bind to an operon or promoter sequence and inhibit the transcription of the downstream gene in the presence of a transcription factor (in our case arsenic). Expressing a conformation change, this strategy allows us to control GFP expression using a protein sensitive to and capable of bonding with arsenic ions in solution.

Before running the actual circuit, we ran control experiments to determine whether or not the GFP would indeed function as a reporter, meaning it is expressed by the plasmid.

The first control experiment drove GFP using a constitutive promoter: meaning that the GFP would always be produced. This was essentially only used to ensure that the GFP works in the paper ticket.

The second control experiment was regulated, meaning that GFP expression was dependent on a trigger. This tested if the GFP could be controlled/ regulated.

These experiments were performed using a commercial in vitro transcription/translation kit by Promega.

The results from both of these experiments are shown in the pictures below.






ARS 1.1 07262017 POSITIVE.JPG


From left to right: (1) A blank, unblotted ticket. (2) A ticket representing the first experiment where GFP is expressed constituitively in the first column, and a negative control, water, is in the second column. (3) The Positive Test Circuit, with first row containing 2 µL of test mixture, and the second row containing 4 µL of test mixture. Possible dose response is visible. (4) The Negative Control Circuit, containing 2 µL of reaction mixture in first and second columns.


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