Team:Lund/Design/Animation
Design
Our sensory elements
Superfolded GFP was split into three parts, namely GFP1-9 (the leftmost figure), GFP10 and GFP11. The GFP1-9 protein will be expressed in presence of organic pollutant molecules. The GFP10 and GFP11 tags were fused to the ligand binding domain of the human estrogen receptor alpha (hER-α LBD).
The working system
In presence of a phthalate molecule, which binds to hER-α LBD, the truncated receptor undergoes a conformational change, bringing the GFP10 and GFP11 tags closer together.
Let there be light
Expressed GFP1-9 (indication of OP presence) binds to the GFP10-GFP11 construct (indication of phthalate presence) and reconstitutes a functional sfGFP, resulting in a measurable fluorescent signal.
