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From 2012.igem.org

Aseatobacter

Our project seeks to improve the characteristics of cellulose secreted by the gram negative bacterium Acetobacter xylinum. This naturally occurring "chassis" secretes large amounts of cellulose into solution and has been studied for many years. We wish to improve the material properties of this bacterial cellulose by genetically engineering the strain to incorporate color, improved tensile strength and increased hydrophobicity into the improved cellulose based material. After testing it's properties, we will use this material to build larger scale objects.