Controller based on Quorum Sensing System to manipulate cell-cell communication and population behaviors

What do we do in this summer?

1. This summer we investigated a kind of quorum sensing molecular, AI-2(autoinducer-2). In our project we try to construct the bacteria machine called Ai-2 Controller which can produce or degrade AI-2 according to the environment and induction conditions. With the important role of AI-2 in population behavior such as biofilm formation, bioluminescence, virulence and antibiotic resistance, AI-2 Controller has its great applications in the fields of fermentation production, reducing antibiotic resistance, improve intestinal microflora environment and so on.

What are the characteristics of AI-2 Controller?

No Side Effect？

No waste to the fermentation environment

AI-2 Consumer & Supplier？

Modulate the external AI-2 environment & attenuating cell–cell communication

Biosafety？

No overgrowth in the fermentation environment & outside the lab

References

1. Thompson J A, Oliveira R A, Djukovic A, et al. Manipulation of the quorum sensing signal AI-2 affects the antibiotic-treated gut microbiota[J]. Cell reports, 2015, 10(11): 1861-1871.
2. Zargar A, Quan D N, Emamian M, et al. Rational design of ‘controller cells’ to manipulate protein and phenotype expression[J]. Metabolic engineering, 2015, 30: 61-68.