Modeling and observer design for recombinant Escherichia coli strain.

A mathematical model for recombinant bacteria which includes foreign protein production is developed. The experimental system consists of an Escherichia Coli strain and plasmid pIT34 containing genes for bioluminescence and production of a protein, beta-galactosidase. This recombinant strain is constructed to facilitate on-line estimation and control in a complex bioprocess.

Monitoring of recombinant protein production using bioluminescence in a semiautomated fermentation process.

On-line optimization of fermentation processes can be greatly aided by the availability of information on the physiological state of the cell. The goal of our "BioLux" research project was to design a recombinant cell capable of intracellular monitoring of product synthesis and to use it as part of an automated fermentation system. A recombinant plasmid was constructed containing an inducible promoter that controls the gene coding for a model protein and the genes necessary for bioluminescence.