“Would E. coli, by any other name, smell as sweet?”

From today’s MIT Technology Review comes news of an undergrad project on bacteria and odor — and no, the experiments were not conducted in a fraternity or locker room. The idea was to promote the field of synthetic biology, and build a library of standardized, modular biological components that can be added to organisms to enhance function. It sounds lofty, but in practice it seems most of these functions are novelty items:

Anyone who has ever smelled E. coli bacteria knows that they smell bad. Putridly bad. So, a group of student bioengineers at MIT set out to sweeten the scent of this commonly used lab bacteria. The team constructed its creation from a collection of biological “parts”–bits of DNA that, when inserted into living organisms, can make the organisms glow, detect light, and perform a number of other unusual functions. The team will showcase its sweet-smelling bug this weekend at the International Genetically Engineered Machine competition (iGEM) at MIT, along with 37 other student groups from around the world…
To create the scented bacteria, the students looked for different genes that convert chemicals naturally made by bacteria into chemical precursors of aromatic compounds, as well as genes that convert the precursors to the aromatics themselves — methyl salicylate, commonly known as oil of wintergreen, and isoamyl acetate, a component of the ripe-banana smell. The genes were then hooked up to genetic controllers, known as promoters, which determine when and where that gene is turned on. A gene from a plant, for example, might be controlled by a promoter from bacteria.
The various DNA components, collected from fellow scientists and from a genetic repository housed at MIT, were then embedded in a circular string of DNA and inserted into bacteria. The end result is a new strain of E. coli that smells of mint and bananas. The team also eliminated the gene responsible for E. coli’s natural stink.

This coming weekend, meet all 37 synthetic biology teams from around the world at MIT’s Stata Center for the iGEM 2006 Jamboree. This prestigious synthetic biology event, filled with presentations and awards, is open to the public.
The organisers promise to make videos from the affair, and make them available over the internet. Once they become available, we’ll link to it.
More about the Jamboree…
Competition’s website…
Read the article from MIT Tech Review here…