Not your typical science blog, but an 'open science' research blog. Watch me fumbling my way towards understanding how and why bacteria take up DNA, and getting distracted by other cool questions.
What I've been doing
Nothing that has generated any big insights. The RA and I are working on the E. coli competence question: Given that E. coli appears to have all the genes needed for DNA uptake and transformation, can we detect competence or transformation? We have several strategies: 1. Artificially induce sxy expression to turn on the competence genes, using one of two IPTG-inducible sxy plasmid constructs. 2. Use a recombineering protein to increase the efficiency of recombination. 3. Screen strains of the ECOR collection.
4 comments:
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I'm sorry, I had to ask: what is sxy?
ReplyDeleteSxy is a bacterial gene. It encodes a transcriptional regulator protein that, with another protein called CRP, activates genes that specify the ability to take up DNA.
ReplyDelete^
ReplyDeleteCan upregulating this make E. coli more competent?
I'm wondering if there are ways to increase competence past the 10^10 cfu/ug level.
I don't think so, but we haven't really tested it.
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