HARVARD iGEM 2014!

PROJECT

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Project Description

Content

For the 2014 iGEM competition, the Harvard team aims to adapt E. coli biofilms into an information encoding and storage system. E. coli cells naturally secrete a protein called curli into their extracellular matrix that self-assembles into ordered, linear, amyloid fibers important for the structural integrity of the biofilm. In our system, bacteria will be engineered to produce a variety of curli subunits in response to environmental inputs.

Curli fibers are polymers composed of a repeating protein subunit CsgA. CsgA, in addition to associated chaperone and nucleation proteins, is produced by the cell and exported through its inner and outer membranes into the extracellular space, where they grow from the cell membrane. These fibers are exceptionally durable, requiring harsh treatment in formic acid to disassemble and can sustain extreme temperatures. These characteristics of curli create an ideal medium for encoding information. Living materials offer an advantage over classical materials because they are adaptable, versatile, and can self-pattern complex architectures.

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