"

From 2012.igem.org

The Project

Synechosunshine: photosynthetically powered biolamp

We present an artificial consortium between 2 specialized bacteria by the means of genetic engineering, in order to obtain a photosynthetically fed biolamp. It is a novel proposal of synthetic ecology, based on the use of an efficient photosynthesizer (the cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus) modified to become an exporter of sucrose and diel switch of the activity of Aliivibrio fischeri, a marine bacterium widely known for its bioluminescent properties in response to quorum sensing signals. Our modified cyanobacteria feed the population of A. fischeri through a transporter protein and produce AHL to induce bioluminescence in response to the activity of a photosensitive operator, which would activate only at night. We also have tried to transform different microalgae with bioluminescence genes to test their effectiveness. We look forward to develop an efficient and autosufficient environmentally friendly biolamp, with potential application to cover the illumination needs of many infrastructure sectors.

Here is our Synechococcus culture. Everything is working out!!!

Contact us: igemvalencia2012@gmail.com