Urbana, Ill.-University of Illinois (UI) agriculture scientists believe it may be possible to “teach” corn to fix its own nitrogen. In an emerging area of engineering called synthetic biology, combining science and engineering to design and build or “synthesize” novel biological functions and systems, many scientists believe it may be possible to control biological systems to increase food supplies, produce energy, enhance human health, protect the environment, and more. “We now understand enough about how genes work and how proteins are produced that we can actually think about reprogramming how living cells work,” according to Kaustubh Bhalerao, an assistant professor in UI’s Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering. “On one hand, it sounds intimidating. But on the other hand, there are tremendous benefits that may be possible by doing this.” Bhalerao’s research focuses on building systems in which bacteria “behave like amplifiers.” Bhalerao said the equivalence of an amplifier inside bacteria has been developed. The bacteria sense the presence of an amino acid in their environment and produce a protein in response. A positive feedback mechanism in the gene circuit amplifies the production of that protein. By using bacterial amplifiers, the systems become more sensitive. “Because of the amplifier, bacterial biosensors can detect concentrations much lower than would have been possible otherwise. In a system designed to produce a particular molecule or chemical, much larger output levels can be generated,” he said. A specific application being investigated is the design of a system that enables nitrogen fixing bacteria to communicate with the root systems of corn plants.
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