Here’s one more story for you out of Justin Gallivan’s laboratory at Emory University. Gallivan has been using bits of RNA called riboswitches to turn gene expression on and off. At the conference, he reported he could turn on E. coli’s propeller in the presence of a pesticide, giving the bugs chemical-following properties that look a lot like what bacteria naturally do with external receptors on their front grille.
Gallivan says motility is a good way to find the best riboswitches, which could then be modified to turn on the gene of your choice. You can read more about it here.
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