Bistable genetic switch
We constructed a bistable switch in mammalian cells based on monomeric DNA-binding domains via the introduction of a positive feedback loop composed of activators based on the same TALE domains as their opposing repressors and competition for the same DNA operator site. The switch in one of the two stable states directs cells to produce either blue or yellow fluorescent protein. The results are important for investigation of the designed complex cellular regulation, cell therapies, sensors or biotechnological processes as the cells incorporating switches can respond to a combination of different signals. The survey upgraded the ideas of the Slovenian student team in the competition in synthetic biology, iGEM, in 2012.
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