Team:Exeter
Pili+
Pili, ubiquitous proteinaceous structures found in bacteria, are a known virulence factor due to their ability to bind to cell surface mannose molecules. The team's initial interest in these little bacterial hairs was spawned by research into adhesion mechanisms. Our project looks to repurpose the adhesion mechanism that has been naturally developed and enhanced over time, with a view to binding heavy metal pollutants in water. The bioremediation process can be refined and improved by development of a well characterised modular toolkit. Establishment of a reproducible method for replacing and modifying components of the E. coli fim operon in order to form a catalogue of heavy metal extracting pili. We will use mathematical modelling to inform design of our synthetic construct and to further understand this natural phenomenon.
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