Team:Berkeley/Project/Other organisms

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Our project focused on the delivery of payloads to the cytoplasms of choanoflagellates, but our system's simple, nonspecific design makes it applicable to a host of other eukaryotes. Our design is only limited in three main aspects as to its potential targets:

  • The target organism must be able to naturally phagocytose Escheria Coli.
  • The target organism's phagocytic vesicles must contain cholesterols susceptible to our Vesicle-Buster device.
  • The target organism must be able to survive in media that is compatible with our Self-Lysis device.

We have started looking at other organisms to deliver payloads to with our payload delivery device. Having screened about a dozen single-celled, freshwater eukaryotes for phagocytosis of E. coli and ability to survive in various concentrations of LB, we are now focusing our efforts on Tetrahymena, Blepharisma and Paramecia. We have already determined that these three types of organisms will readily eat E. coli and are capable of surviving in mixtures of their culturing media and LB. The images below show bacteria expressing GFP being ingested by these three organisms. The next step is to include the payload delivery device and start assaying them.

Tetrahymena
Tetrahymena: Phase contrast
Tetrahymena: Phase contrast and GFP
Tetrahymena: GFP only
Blepharisma
Blepharisma: Phase contrast
Blepharisma: Phase contrast and GFP
Blepharisma: GFP only
Paramecia
Paramecia: Phase contrast
Paramecia: Phase contrast and GFP
Paramecia: GFP only