Team:XHD-Wuhan-B-China

LCCD: Light Controlled Cell Division

Bacterial population often display heterogeneity due to the fact that these individuals are always distributed in different stages of a life cycle, which is a problem for research or fermentation industry. In this project, we aim to block several fateful processes in E. coli cell cycle to prevent cell division, hence to create a uniformed population of synchronized individuals. To achieve this goal, we choose to combine the power of optogenetics, CRISPRi and RNAi. We use a two-component optical system of ccaR/ccaS to control CRISPRi and RNAi. Through light controlled CRISPRi and RNAi, we aim to target DnaA, FtsZ, MreB and oriC, to stop cell division under green light. If fully developed, our strategy can bring convenience to 3D genome research and fermentation process. Because light controlled gene interference is such a powerful tool, it has a promising future of treating human diseases.