IGEM:Imperial/2010/Fast Response module

Ideas

Signalling
2 components systems
logic gate
Vibrio cholera

Idea 1

The first idea, that seems to be feasible considering all the components, is the one below:

This is a bacterial two component system. On recieving of a signal, the Env Z receptor autophosphorylates. The phosphate is then passed on the respond element, a transcription factor called OmpR. OmpR is a molecule found naturally downstream of the signalling cascade from the EnvZ receptor. On phosphorylation the OmpR-P dimerise. Since each OmpR is fused with a split protease, when the OmpRs come together, the split protease (TEV) domains come together. This produces the active protease.

References:

• The split protease TEV: Monitoring regulated protein-protein interactions using split TEV

• The EnvZ-OmpR system: response regulator OmpR oligomerizes via beta-sheets to form head-to-head dimers.