Team:CCA SanDiego/overview.html
Substances such as drinking water, groundwater, runoff, and other chemically exposed areas have sustained much damage to both their quality and purity. Common pollutants include alcohols, esters, and other organic substances that pose harm to organisms when ingested in large quantities. Current methods of purification involve exposing the toxic substrates to more chemicals, which, while are effective, also lead to a mixture of more chemical substances in the original substrate.
The issues in detoxification lie within inapplicable delivery systems and a lack of absorbance and efficiency. However, detoxification has proven to be an effective way to minimize amount of chemicals used for maximum efficiency. We aim to solve this issue by engineering a two-plasmid system to be implanted in E. Coli bacteria for detoxification of contaminated groundwater. Our plasmid will achieve three main aims
We honed in on these two genes due to their already biologically proven abilities to process alcohols and other toxic organic substances. Because the CYP2E1 gene is more commonly found in mammalian organisms, and is not found in E. Coli, we aim to utilize the metabolism encoded for in this gene in conjunction with the already found aldehyde dehydrogenase gene in E. Coli to enhance its detoxification abilities.
Our hope is that this multifunctional plasmid, or the E. Coli platform itself, will be able to be applied to a wide range of detoxification processes involving these organic compounds. In the meantime, we work to develop a filtration system using indirect exposure to the secreted proteins as a method of purifying the water.
The issues in detoxification lie within inapplicable delivery systems and a lack of absorbance and efficiency. However, detoxification has proven to be an effective way to minimize amount of chemicals used for maximum efficiency. We aim to solve this issue by engineering a two-plasmid system to be implanted in E. Coli bacteria for detoxification of contaminated groundwater. Our plasmid will achieve three main aims
- The first plasmid will be a bicistronic CYP2e1/NPR plasmid for expression of the Cytochrome P450 detoxification protein, as well as the reductase gene that allows for its expression.
- The second plasmid will be the aldB gene, which serves to break down aldehydes.
- The plasmids will be purified and isolated for possible implantation into a variety of biological systems.
We honed in on these two genes due to their already biologically proven abilities to process alcohols and other toxic organic substances. Because the CYP2E1 gene is more commonly found in mammalian organisms, and is not found in E. Coli, we aim to utilize the metabolism encoded for in this gene in conjunction with the already found aldehyde dehydrogenase gene in E. Coli to enhance its detoxification abilities.
Our hope is that this multifunctional plasmid, or the E. Coli platform itself, will be able to be applied to a wide range of detoxification processes involving these organic compounds. In the meantime, we work to develop a filtration system using indirect exposure to the secreted proteins as a method of purifying the water.
