Part:BBa_K5480009

Overview

The Y38-DpnI-TrrnB composite part is designed to induce cell death at 37°C via the expression of the DpnI restriction enzyme. The construct features a temperature-sensitive Y38 promoter, which activates the expression of the DpnI gene at 37°C, leading to DNA cleavage and cell death. At 30°C, the Y38 promoter is inactive, preventing DpnI expression and allowing the cells to survive. This composite part offers an effective solution for projects that require precise control over cell fate, particularly in applications related to biosafety and secure information transmission.

Components

• Y38 Promoter (BBa_K5480000): A temperature-sensitive promoter that activates expression at 37°C and is inactivated at 30°C.

• DpnI Gene (BBa_J435031): Encodes the DpnI restriction enzyme, which recognizes and cleaves specific DNA sequences.
• TrrnB Terminator (BBa_K4013002): Ensures efficient termination of transcription and prevents transcriptional interference.

Applications

• Biosafety: This part is ideal for use in applications where it is crucial to prevent the spread of biological materials, such as controlling live-cell biosensors or securely handling sensitive biological data. When the environmental temperature reaches 37°C, cells self-destruct due to DpnI expression, providing an effective biosafety mechanism.
• Secure Information Transmission: By embedding sensitive information within cells, this part can ensure that once the information is decoded, the cells will self-destruct at 37°C, preventing information leakage.

Experimental Validation

We have experimentally validated the temperature sensitivity of the Y38 promoter and the efficacy of DpnI expression. The following images demonstrate the comparison between cell death at 37°C and survival at 30°C:

The left image shows the plate at 37°C, where DpnI expression is activated, leading to cell death. The right image shows the plate at 30°C, where the Y38 promoter is inactive, allowing cell survival. This confirms the temperature-sensitive control of cell fate through the Y38-DpnI-TrrnB composite part