Difference between revisions of "Team:Heidelberg/Sandbox LP"

Organosilicons or compounds containing bonds between silicon and carbon and provide completely new structural moieties with altered properties and metabolism. By utilizing a well-known and previously engineered Cytochrome c as a catalyst, it is possible to synthesize carbon-silicon compounds suitable for medical and agricultural applications e.g. in Alzheimer’s disease or as insecticides. In our project, we are focusing on the application of a whole organism that forms novel organosilicons by simultaneously evolving better cytochromes when coupled to a phage-assisted continuous evolution (PACE) approach. In a stepwise proof of principle design, we can show 1) the production of two different organosilicons analyzed via Gas chromatography - mass spectrometry method and 2) the viability of a riboswitch-coupled reporter system detecting one of the most valuable compounds derived from Organosilicon formation. This proof of principle will lead us to biocatalysts which are environmentally friendly and will greatly contribute to the production of novel carbon-silicon bonds as they are highly efficient.