"

From 2014.igem.org

A specific chassis for a specific environnement: Seas & Oceans

As seen in the overview our biosensors should work optimaly in native marine conditions (approximately 24-30 g/L NaCl) , a conditions for which no current chassis in iGEM is ready for.

Moreover it has to attach to sponges and stick with them without disturbing the microbiome for as long as possible.

Therefore came up the necessity to use a bacterium naturally present on the sponges, may it be an epibiont or a symbiont.

To be up to the task the bacterium should have the following properties:

• be massively present on the sponge surface / avoiding being in an unfavorable position for food competition.
• be found mainly in sponges / avoid spreading to species in contact with sponges.
• be the phenotypically closest possible to a known bacterium. / avoid cell cultures difficulties.

To be up to the task the sponge should have the following properties:

• be numerously present in the ocean / avoiding putting species in danger.
• be a natural host of the bacterium / avoid adapting its microbiom to the new epibiont.
• be easily culturable in a laboratoty / avoid sopnge culture difficulties.

The closest combination sponge/bacterium that could fit the requirement is Spongia Officinalis / Pseudovibrio denitrificans