Difference between revisions of "Part:BBa K2033002"

Revision as of 22:20, 11 October 2016

isovaleryl-HSL, 3-methyl-N-[(3S)-2-oxooxolan-3-yl]butanamide Sender- BjaI

Sequence and Features

Short Description

This part produces the AHL quorum sensing molecule isovaleryl-HSL (IV-HSL, also known as 3-methyl-N-[(3S)-2-oxooxolan-3-yl]butanamide. This AHL synthase is paired with a constitutive Tet promoter and mCherry.

Introduction to HSL Quorum Sensing

AHLs, or N-Acyl Homoserine Lactones, are a common chemical compound produced by a wide range of bacteria to communicate. As a major variant of quorum sensing, AHLs come in many forms, although they share the same basic backbone shown below:

Distinguishable by its lactone ring, HSLs in quorum sensing are used as a density-dependent communication system for many bacteria that controls growth rate, virulence, and bio-luminescence among other things. The Aub system originates from an unidentified soil bacteria and is highly uncharacterized.

HSL quorum sensing functions within two modules. The first module, the "Sender," must be induced by certain environmental conditions, usually population density of surrounding organisms. This will begin production of the HSL by the cell, which is then detected by the second module, the "Receiver." Once a certain threshold of HSLs is breached, the Receiver will cause the expression or silencing of certain genes to achieve the desired purpose of the communication, whether it is the production of GFP or to increase growth rate.