The Idea
Inspired by an article on flow generated in a micro-capillary tube by a bacterial "pump" [http://microfluids.engin.brown.edu/Breuer_Papers/Journals/Small2008_Bacterial_Pump.pdf]
we have decided to attempt construction of a similar system. Our approach centers on E. coli that will be modified to hyper-express flagella, in an attempt to increase force generation potential. These bacteria will be attached to a surface, and their flagella should therefor generate flow in the surrounding liquid.
Regulation of the pump will be introduced through a photo-sensing chimeric fusion protein that has recently been shown to integrate with the E. coli chemotaxis system [http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/bi034399q], to control tumbling frequencies in our bacteria, thereby giving us control over the amount of turbulence disrupting our pump via a blue light source. The parts contributed will in effect confer phototaxic ability to E. coli.
We suggest that our system will also be convertible to a mixing device, for mixing fluids in micro-capillaries, and other related environments.
Both sub-project will contribute new parts to the registry.
--CKurtzhals 21:39, 1 July 2010 (UTC)
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