Team:TokyoTech/Hardware
Hardware
ïŒïŒIntroduction
LB agar was used in our WetLab experiment. Because of this, the E. coli population can only create a spotted pattern. In order to make more patterns, we came out with the idea of culturing using a liquid medium. But in a liquid medium culture, E. coli can move freely and the pattern formation will not be possible. So, we have worked on creating a device that would limit the movement of E. coli in a liquid medium culture.
ïŒïŒDesign
In Turing pattern simulation, a screen is generally divided into squares and a Turing pattern is created by calculating the action of each square on the neighboring squares one by one. Our team instructor Prof.Yamamura and advisor Mr.Yasuda, have suggested that similar to the simulation, if we can divide the dish and cultivate Escherichia coli using liquid medium, the situation might be the same as our simulation on pattern formation. We accepted the advice and designed a dish that could make various patterns. We cut a colorless transparent acrylic board with a thickness of 2mm as shown in the drawing using a laser processing machine from the university. After that, they were assembled to create the segmented dish. With this dish, E. coli will be able to stay in one square (which means the E. coli movement is restricted), and the speed of diffusion of the substances that created Turing pattern will be faster than in the agar medium. Actual drawings are as follows.
ïŒïŒResult
This is our Petri dish. Since there are still gaps existed between the dish and acrylic board in this state, it is necessary to harden the gaps with resin. In addition, although a 2 mm hole is successfully formed in the wall between each square, it is still big enough for the E. coli to pass through, so it is advisable to attach a sterilization filter to prevent it.
ïŒïŒDiscussion
By applying the âdishâ created this time, it becomes possible to form a Turing pattern by our E. coli. E. coli placed in a compartment on a dish filled with liquid medium has properties corresponding to temperature and light stimulation, and the product only affects E. coli in the adjacent compartment. Is possible.
Our Dish has a 2 mm hole in the wall and its wall made of acrylic board. In addition, material exchange must be possible.
Filters are generally used in culture systems for material exchange. E. coli is trapped by a 0.22 ÎŒm pore size filter and the product is very small compared to E. coli, so it can pass through this filter.
In this next step, this 0.22 ÎŒm filter is installed in the hole in the wall of the compartment partitioned by the acrylic plate. As a result, E. coli stays in each compartment, and its product moves through the filter to the next compartment, affecting the E. coli in the next compartment.
Full âdishâ can correspond to the divided squares in the patterning simulation. This allows you to verify whether the pattern obtained by simulation matches the pattern that is actually formed.
If these matches are confirmed, when the target pattern is created by simulation, it can be easily controlled and reproduced.
