From 2007.igem.org

Quorum-sensing coupled with the Repressilator

The aim of our team is to further understand the two-gene Oscillator, and couple this with the Repressilator system in order to understand time-varying conditions in the form of extrinsic driving from the environment and intrinsic rhythms generated within an organism itself. This includes specialized rhythm generators functioning in a coherent oscillatory state such as the cardiac pacemaker, also known as the sinoatrial node in mammalian hearts, and the circadian clock residing at the suprachiasmatic nuclei in mammalian brains. This is a continuation of one of our projects presented last year, however, to the quorum-sensing oscilaltor, we intend to understand the effect of varying various conditions, such as controlling the cell densities, levels of AI (artificial inducer) by adding an AI analog, adding Tetracycline (DOX) to control LacI (Off-switch) and installing an AI inhibitor to control AI levels in the system.

By coupling the Repressilator to the system, it is theorized that this more complex system can become highly stabilized if coupled with the 2-gene quorum-sensing oscillator, and once working side-by-side, the 2 systems will produce highly stable, smooth, sinusoidal oscillations.