Team:UA Huntsville/Results
Project Results
Results Thus Far
pBAD/AraC-Dsup and pTet-CAHS constructs have been successfully synthesized. These constructs contain the key tardigrade radiotolerance genes that will become key components of the final plasmid. Digestion of 2xTer-Amp backbone will be carried out shortly, and then the two constructs will be ligated to this backbone. Once this has been achieved, the two plasmid constructs will be transformed into a LacZ frameshift, exposed to Ultraviolet radiation, and the amount of revertants vs. empty vector will be assessed. These experiments are in process at the time of completion of the website.
Future Directions
In the future, we intend to test these constructs transformed into IR9-50-1 strain and measure survival under UV radiation and Ionizing radiation. We also intend to test the effects of microgravity on the viability and growth rates of these cells using a microgravity bioreactor from Synthecon. It is our hope that the cosmicoli will maintain radiotolerance and fitness in microgravity to confirm their effectiveness for space-based research.