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Contents 1 POPS Oscillator reporting cell division 1.1 Project Goal 1.2 Current Device Idea 1.3 Assumptions 1.4 Initial Experiments 1.4.1 Exp 1 1.4.2 Exp 2 1.4.3 Exp 3 1.5 References 1.5.1 Bloor - An Efficient Method of Selectable Marker Gene Excision by Xer Recombination for Gene Replacement in Bacterial Chromosomes (2006) 1.5.2 Kuempel - Cell division is required for resolution of dimer chromosomes at the dif locus of Escherichia coli (1998)

POPS Oscillator reporting cell division

The idea is to use the XerC and D recombinases to invert a section of DNA at cell division. Inversion of the DNA causes a PoPS pulse as output.

Project Goal

The aim is to produce output as a function of bacterial cell division. Different versions of the recombination enable different downstream outputs. The system may for example perform programmed cell death after a set number of cell divisions. We hope to further analyse cell division and recombinase mechanisms since bacterial cell division is still relatively poorly understood.

Current Device Idea

This device should output a PoPS signal every time cell division occurs. It can then be hooked up to another device such as a counter.

For this device to work, dif site-enclosed DNA needs to flip but once per division. Like all recombination sites, dif-sites are directional, and bacteria uses Research In it's current configuration, Promoter A is repressed by represser A which is continually being produced. At this time there is no represser B being produced.

When cell division occurs, the section of DNA between the two dif sites gets reversed. Initially there is no represser B present in the cell so promoter B is able to produce an output of PoPS. As time goes on represser B gets produced and 'turns off' promoter B. At the same time represser A is no longer being produced and degrades so when the next division occurs, promoter A will be capable of producing a PoPS output and the process repeats.

Assumptions

• The Dif sites flip only once during cell division
• Repressors A and B are produced and degrade faster than the cell cycle
• Promoter B does not interfere with the production of represser A

Initial Experiments

As stated before, the device relies on the dif site flipping only once per cell division. To test whether or not this actually happens, we have devised two simpler experiments.

Exp 1

This experiment will prove whether or not the DNA between the two dif sites flip at all during cell division. If the a flip occurs, then the direction the promoter operates will be changed and GFP will be expressed.

Exp 2

This will prove whether or not it flips once during division, this will require fast degrading fluorescent proteins.

After each division we expect to see a change in colour as the promoter is activating a separate gene

Exp 3

Currently we are planning to test how the dif sites flip using exps 1 & 2 however there is still a large jump to the final device.

It was suggested we should test the represser part of the system without the dif sites

The represser part of the system is simply a pair of inverters.

There are 3 basic types of inverter in the registry:

• TetR BBa_Q04400 “this inverter functions well. [jb, 5/24/04]”
• CI (Lambda) BBa_Q04510 “this inverter functions well. [jb, 5/24/04]”
• LacI BBa_Q04121 "a strong 'on' state with significant background in the 'off' state. [jb,5/24/04]”

Suggested exp 3

This will test to see if promoter B causes problems with promoter 0 promoting represer A and tests the standard represser inverter found in the registry.

Parts required:

• Promoter 0 – suggest BBa_I0500 (arabinose) – Plate 2, 9I
• Promoter B – backward lacI – Used in exp 1
• Inverter – suggest BBa_Q04510 (CI (Lambda)) – Plate 2, 13K
• Reporter – use same as experiment 1

References

Bloor - An Efficient Method of Selectable Marker Gene Excision by Xer Recombination for Gene Replacement in Bacterial Chromosomes (2006)

This article describes a system where a gene is deleted by replacing it with an antibiotic marker. The antibiotic marker is then excised during next cell divsion using the naturally expressed XerCD? recombinases. This is similar to what we are doing except instead of excising we are inverting.

"The natural dif site is in the chromosome terminus region and is essential for correct chromosome segregation at cell division: deletion of difE. coli results in a subpopulation of E. coli cells with a filamentous morphology (12). However, if natural difE. coli is deleted, another difE. coli site will not enable dimer resolution if placed outside of the 30-kb dif activity zone (DAZ) in the terminus region (6, 16). Therefore, while our method involves insertion of one or more extra dif sites at different chromosomal loci, this should not have an adverse effect on chromosome segregation, although the possibility that introduction of multiple dif sites in close proximity might result in deletion of intervening chromosomal DNA should be considered."

Summary: Dif sites outside of the DAZ zone shouldn't cause problems with the natural dif sites of the chromosome/plasmid

Kuempel - Cell division is required for resolution of dimer chromosomes at the dif locus of Escherichia coli (1998)

Good overview of the natural Xer recombinase system.