Team:Paris Bettencourt/Project/Odor Library

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BACKGROUND


Synthetic enzymes can produce odors that humans experience directly, without special instruments. The banana and wintergreeen smell BioBricks are iGEM icons, and a favorite way to introduce genetic engineering. An expanded library of easy-to-use odor enzymes would take synthetic biology to new audiences for creativity, beauty and fun!
AIMS


  • Standardize and simplify existing smell-producing BioBricks for banana, wintergreen, lemon and rain.
  • Create new BioBricks for the aromas of popcorn and jasmine.
  • Create an odor wheel made out of genetic odors that follow a standard organization so that the general public can play with odor genes.
RESULTS


  • Created BioBricks coding for sequences for different enzymes to nullify the bad odor produced by E. coli.
  • We produced the smells that compose the main odor categories perceived by humans.
  • BioBricks submitted to be BioBrick registry:BBa_K1403003, BBa_K1403006, BBa_K1403009, BBa_K1403012, BBa_K1403017, BBa_K1403019
Aims and Achievement Introduction Results Methods

Aims and Achievement

Here we present the design of an odor wheel. It is composed of BioBricks containing coding sequences for different enzymes known to catalyze reactions that yield volatile compounds with characteristic smells. We included smells with different tonalities in order to explore the aromas resulting from different combinations of smelly units. The tonality of each smell is categorized as butter, balminess, citrus, non-citrus fruit and herbal. These cover half of the main odor categories perceivable to human beings.

Introduction

There are complex relations among the stereochemistry of volatile compounds, their ratio within a particular mix, the amount of active olfactory receptors expressed in the smeller, as well as the distribution, and interaction of the different olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs). Odors spark neurochemical signals that are processed in different areas of the brain; they trigger complex cognitive processes that affect emotional responses such as motivation and memory. Although the precise molecular mechanisms behind odor perception have not been fully understood, there has been significant advance in the biosynthesis of organic volatile compounds using bacterial and fungal systems.

Results

Proper BioBrick characterization is needed before tinkering with expression levels; the possibility to change ribosomal binding sites according to the desired expression is included in our design. We would also like to develop auto-inducible smelly systems, as well as broaden the available tones in our palette.

Methods

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Centre for Research and Interdisciplinarity (CRI)
Faculty of Medicine Cochin Port-Royal, South wing, 2nd floor
Paris Descartes University
24, rue du Faubourg Saint Jacques
75014 Paris, France
+33 1 44 41 25 22/25
paris-bettencourt-igem@googlegroups.com
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