From the MIT student team wiki:
"This summer, MIT's iGEM (International Genetically Engineered Machines) 2006 team engineered Escherichia coli to produce a wintergreen scent during exponential phase and a banana scent during stationary phase using only endogenous metabolites. Thus, our project demonstrates that:
1. It is indeed possible to design, build and test a synthetic biological system over the course of a summer.
2. Biosynthetic devices that produce scented compounds can be successfully engineered in E. coli.
3. Biosynthetic devices can be purposefully regulated via transcription based control devices.
Motivations
Our project focused on engineering Escherichia coli to produce different compounds that smell fragrant. Since scents can both act as natural reporters and have a diverse array of applications, they represent a promising but thus far unexplored area of synthetic biology.
Future applications of this work that we envision include:
* Improving the workplace environment for microbiologists working with Escherichia coli since E. coli produce a natural foul scent.
* Porting our system to bacterial species involved in bioremediation.
* Implementing our system in bacteria responsible for bad human odor in the mouth, armpits and feet.From the MIT student team wiki:
"This summer, MIT's iGEM (International Genetically Engineered Machines) 2006 team engineered Escherichi...all »From the MIT student team wiki:
"This summer, MIT's iGEM (International Genetically Engineered Machines) 2006 team engineered Escherichia coli to produce a wintergreen scent during exponential phase and a banana scent during stationary phase using only endogenous metabolites. Thus, our project demonstrates that:
1. It is indeed possible to design, build and test a synthetic biological system over the course of a summer.
2. Biosynthetic devices that produce scented compounds can be successfully engineered in E. coli.
3. Biosynthetic devices can be purposefully regulated via transcription based control devices.
Motivations
Our project focused on engineering Escherichia coli to produce different compounds that smell fragrant. Since scents can both act as natural reporters and have a diverse array of applications, they represent a promising but thus far unexplored area of synthetic biology.
Future applications of this work that we envision include:
* Improving the workplace environment for microbiologists working with Escherichia coli since E. coli produce a natural foul scent.
* Porting our system to bacterial species involved in bioremediation.
* Implementing our system in bacteria responsible for bad human odor in the mouth, armpits and feet.«
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