Difference between revisions of "Team:Exeter"

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    <h1>Pili<sup>+</sup></h1>
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    <h3>Modified cell surface pili as a new vogue for bacterial bioremediation</h3>
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    <p>
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    Heavy metal ion pollutants have significant effects on local flora and fauna and their leaching has implications for human health. Current treatment methods are energetically costly and, in the case of lime dosing, environmentally detrimental. We aim to investigate E. coli type 1 pili adhesion mechanisms and repurpose the involved structures to bind heavy metal ions in water. Pili are hair-like structures found on bacteria that attach to cell surface mannose molecules, using their terminal pili protein, FimH. Our aim is to fuse a variety of metal binding proteins to the FimH protein by modification of the fimH gene. The modified bacteria will be contained in a fluidised media reactor filter system used in conjunction with a hydrocyclone to prevent GMO release. Our modular cloning strategy, allows us to develop a toolkit for a wide number of pili applications and further future developments.
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              <img class="d-block" src="resources/mine.png" alt="First slide">
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              <div class="carousel-caption d-md-block">
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                <h3>About 4000 years ago...</h3>
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                <p>...mining started in the South West of England, with a particular focus on Devon and Cornwall and only stopped as recently as 1998. The natural resources extracted brough great riches to the region but have left a legacy of devastating environmental consequences.</p>
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              <img class="d-block" src="resources/leaching.png" alt="Second slide">
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                <h3>Today, the consequences...</h3>
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                <p>...are more evident than ever. A litany of heavy metal ions are still found to be leaching from the mine sites into passing streams. Not only does this affect the surrounding flora and fauna, but there is potential for the pollution, if unchecked, to find its way into human consumption.</p>
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              <img class="d-block" src="resources/binding.png" alt="Third slide">
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                <h3>This summer...</h3>
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                <p>...we took inspiration from the role of pili in bacterial pathogenicity. These hair-like structures have evolved the capability to bind to mannose molecules on cell surface membranes. While these pili were improving in E.coli, metallothioneins, capable of binding to numerous heavy metals, were developing in cyanobacteria and also in mammals. Our role was to bring these elements together.</p>
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              <img class="d-block" src="resources/filter.png" alt="Third slide">
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                <h3>Placed in a bipartite filter system...</h3>
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                <p>...our GMO help the environment without doing any harm. A hydrocyclone is a cheap and economical solution for separating larger particles from the inflow. A fluidised media reactor houses our bacteria and is sandwiched by UV boxes intended for bactericidal purposes.</p>
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                <h3>Meet Pili<sup>+</sup> ...</h3>
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                <p>and see how <i>E. coli</i>, housed inside a small, closed and cheap filter unit, can bind heavy metal ion pollutants with foreign metalliothioneins fused to the terminal protein of proteinaceous hairs on the cell surface.</p>
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        <h1>Pili<sup>+</sup></h1>
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        <h3>Modified cell surface pili as a new vogue for bacterial bioremediation</h3>
 +
        <p>
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          Heavy metal ion pollutants have significant effects on local flora and fauna and their leaching has implications for human health. Current treatment methods are energetically costly and, in the case of lime dosing, environmentally detrimental. We aim to investigate <i>E. coli</i> type 1 pili adhesion mechanisms and repurpose the involved structures to bind heavy metal ions in water. Pili are hair-like structures found on bacteria that attach to cell surface mannose molecules, using their terminal pili protein, FimH. Our aim is to fuse a variety of metal binding proteins to the FimH protein by modification of the <i>fimH</i> gene. The modified bacteria will be contained in a fluidised media reactor filter system used in conjunction with a hydrocyclone to prevent GMO release. Our modular cloning strategy, allows us to develop a toolkit for a wide number of pili applications and further future developments.
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              <h4 class="card-title">Learn about what we did in the lab</h4>
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              <p class="card-text">During the summer we worked in the lab to ...</p>
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              <a href="#" class="btn btn-primary" id="findOutMore">Find out more</a>
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              <h4 class="card-title">Find out about our filter system</h4>
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              <p class="card-text">As part of our project we developed a prototype of a filter system that could potentially be employed by the water industry.
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              </p>
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              <a href="#" class="btn btn-primary" id="findOutMore">Find out more</a>
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              <h4 class="card-title">Meet the people behind the project</h4>
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              <p class="card-text">We are a team of ten undergraduate students from the University of Exeter.</p>
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              <a href="#" class="btn btn-primary" id="findOutMore">Find out more</a>
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Revision as of 15:57, 11 October 2017

Learn about what we did in the lab

During the summer we worked in the lab to ...

Find out more

Find out about our filter system

As part of our project we developed a prototype of a filter system that could potentially be employed by the water industry.

Find out more

Meet the people behind the project

We are a team of ten undergraduate students from the University of Exeter.

Find out more