Regensburg 2010 – scientific programme

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 32: Posters: Physics of Cells

BP 32.42: Poster

Thursday, March 25, 2010, 17:15–20:00, Poster B1

Construction and dynamics of a bistable genetic switch in E. coli — •Christoph Klingner, Susann Berthold, Ralf Jungmann, Eike Friedrichs, and Friedrich C. Simmel — Lehrstuhl für Bioelektronik, E14 TU München, James Franck Str., 85748 Garching, Germany

Standard genetic engineering tools can be utilized for the development of artificial gene regulatory circuits. Synthetic gene circuits can be used to "reprogram" bacterial cells in order to achieve artificial functions and behavior. In addition, they may prove useful for the elucidation of gene regulatory dynamics within a controlled setting. Among the simplest possible regulatory circuits, bistable or multistable genetic systems are of particular interest, as they may be utilized to switch between several distinct "states" of a cell. Furthermore, switching mechanisms are a key ingredient of more complex genetic programs.
We here present the construction of a simple genetic switch based on the LacI and pTetR promoters, which can be switched chemically between two possible states. The regulatory dynamics of each of the two subsystems are investigated in the bacterium Escherichia coli in terms of stability, reproducibility and velocity while toggling with the inducers isopropyl thiogalactoside (IPTG) and anhydrotetracycline (aTc). The inhibition as well as positive auto-regulation of gene expression are studied and compared to model simulations.