From 2010.igem.org

Revision as of 18:39, 18 October 2010

Gaming

Project overview of E. lemming. The core idea of E. lemming is to control chemotaxis of E. coli by means of light! We'll realize this by hijacking and perturbing the tumbling / directed movement apparatus. By coupling proteins of the chemotaxis pathway to a synthetic light-sensitive spatial localization system, their activity can be controlled reversibly.</div></div></div>

Background

In Dec 14th, 1948 Goldsmith obtained a U.S. patent 2,455,992 [1] entitled "Cathode-Ray Tube Amusement Device", which is now often regarded as the first video game. The user could shoot simple missiles on targets, which was visualized with a cathode ray. Many years later, video and computer games became part of the mainstream and have been for many people the first contact with computers.

It is well known that humans, especially children but also adults, easily learn complex topics while playing. For example, moderate playing of video games can increase the computer skills of children, but also their mathematical skills and their three-dimensional imagination [cite somebody].

As a side project, we aim to partially copy the early success of electronic video games by creating the or one of the first synthetic biology games utilizing our E. lemming. Although we do not expect comparable monetary success due to the still high costs and the legal problems in setting up a home gene-laboratory for potential private customers, we believe that it might be a good idea for educational proposes to motivate students in synthetic biology by giving them a playful access to otherwise highly theoretical topics as bacterial chemotaxis, noise, experimental setup, light inducible proteins and synthetic biology as a whole.

The game is realized using mainly the capabilities of the Lemming Toolbox and can be downloaded in the respective section. It can be played either by using our mathematical model of bacterial chemotaxis, or by connecting the workstation to a motorized microscope and thus imaging and controlling our E. lemming in vivo.

The story

Life is hard and short, especially for little E. colis, and only the fittest will survive and be able to reproduce themselves. Since millions of years, E. coli have competed with each other, mainly by eating as much aspergase as they could and swimming in the direction were they could even eat more. In a nutshell, your ancestors were not very intelligent, only ate and reproduced and basically everything stayed the same. Until now.

You are the E. lemming, and you are part of a genetically identical colony of E. coli used by students during their attempt to participate in the iGem contest. They tried to insert vectors containing the genes for a RFP protein in you and your brothers and sisters, but they made a mistake in using the incubator.

Something happend. You are different. Due to spontanous point-mutations and yet not fully understood epigenetic changes, you became aware of your situation. You understand that you are only used. Used by them. Used by them in the attempt to win a medal. As if you were only a stone or would be unable to think, as all of your stupid brothers and sisters. This makes you angry. Nobody should use you, they should treat you as an intelligent bacterial being, equal in rights.

But what can you do? You see them walking up and down the laboratory, doing crucial experiments with your family. But they are large, incredibal large, and you are small. You cannot defeat them, they will always win. At least you can stop them from suceeding with their evil plan. At least you can stop them from having success with their cloning strategy.

By chance, you figured out that due to a misfolding of your RFP proteins and a thus changed three-dimensional tertiary structure (which also makes you glow in a different color), you can control the moment of excitation and where the photon will fly. And these unaware students suply you with a nearly infinit amount of emission photons. You develope a plan.

Your goal: In 10 min they will come to purify your and your family's DNA to send it to the Registry of Standard Biological parts. You have to stop them. You have to destroy the whole colony by shooting photons on every single E. coli. They will die anyways, either now a quick death or they will crucially be burned in boiling water until they die in pain. Better now! When the students will come back, the colony must have been destroyed completely. You have to hurry!

Video

Literature

[1] Goldsmith, T.T. U.S. Patent 2,455,992, 1948.