Team:Calgary/Project/BsDetector

From 2014.igem.org

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<h2>Why <i>Bacillus subtilis</i>?</h2>
<h2>Why <i>Bacillus subtilis</i>?</h2>
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<p><i>Bacillus subtilis</i> is a gram-positive bacterial species that is capable of natural transformation. Under conditions of nutrient deprivation (energy starvation), <i>B. subtilis</i> can be made to uptake foreign DNA. We can also bypass the need for energy starvation to make transformation even easier! By using cells derived from a specific strain of <i>B. subtilis</i> (SCK6) with the pAX01-comK plasmid ( Zhang & Zhang, 2010), we can use xylose to induce competence and transform <i>B. subtilis</i> with our DNA constructs.  
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<p><i>Bacillus subtilis</i> is a gram-positive bacterial species that is capable of natural transformation. Under conditions of nutrient deprivation (energy starvation), <i>B. subtilis</i> can be made to uptake foreign DNA. We can also bypass the need for energy starvation to make transformation even easier! By using cells derived from a specific strain of <i>B. subtilis</i> (SCK6) with the pAX01-comK plasmid ( Zhang & Zhang, 2010), we can use xylose to induce competence and transform <i>B. subtilis</i> with our DNA constructs. Read more about our <i>B. subtilis</i> transformation process in our <a href="https://2014.igem.org/Team:Calgary/Sandbox/Notebook/ProtocolManual/Bsubtilis">protocol manual</a>.
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Revision as of 18:03, 16 October 2014

B.s. Detector

The B.s. detector is a diagnostic tool designed to simultaneously identify the presence of several pathogens within a blood sample through the detection of specific sequences within genomic DNA. At the core of our device lies the gram positive - and eponymous - bacteria B. Subtilis which has been genetically modified to harbour two specific operons (a cluster of genes intended to be activated together) of our own design which work in tandem. The first operon consists of the lacZ gene along with an operator gene which is necessary for lacZ's function.

Why Bacillus subtilis?

Bacillus subtilis is a gram-positive bacterial species that is capable of natural transformation. Under conditions of nutrient deprivation (energy starvation), B. subtilis can be made to uptake foreign DNA. We can also bypass the need for energy starvation to make transformation even easier! By using cells derived from a specific strain of B. subtilis (SCK6) with the pAX01-comK plasmid ( Zhang & Zhang, 2010), we can use xylose to induce competence and transform B. subtilis with our DNA constructs. Read more about our B. subtilis transformation process in our protocol manual.