From 2007.igem.org

Our system will be composed of :

• a microbial sensor that is able to report the presence of mercury (type I)
• a microbial filter that is able to bind to mercury (type II)
• each of type I and type II cells will also have the ability to bind to a solid substrate

Type I and type II E.coli cells will be bound to the solid substrate (a plastic of some sort), which can be immerged in the mercury-contaminated water. Type I cells will report the presence of mercury by fluorescing red, and type II cells will bind mercury tightly, so that when the solid support is removed, the mercury is removed along with it.