Synthetic biological approach to construct and analyze a synthetic microbial ecosystem

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25730176
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Life / Health / Medical informatics
• Research Institution: Tokyo Institute of Technology
• Principal Investigator: Ayukawa Shotaro 東京工業大学, 情報生命博士教育院, 特任助教 (70645845)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 人工遺伝子回路 / 微生物共生系

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Many microbes are living by forming symbiotic systems that have complex structures and functions by communicating with other microbes. In order to understand the design principle of these symbiotic systems, we constructed a synthetic mutualistic system that is easy to be controlled and analyzed with the synthetic biological approach. Firstly, we designed and constructed synthetic genetic circuits that make E.coli cells to form a mutualistic system in which two types of cells help the other’s survival by inducing expression of antibiotic resistance genes through cell-cell communication molecules. Furthermore, we confirmed that the synthetic mutualistic system can exist stably with culture experiments and numerical simulations.

Free Research Field

合成生物学