Proposed Implementation
Our project aims to strangle locust plague at birth but without killing them. In detail, we want to degrade the aggregation pheromone guaiacol and serotonin in locusts’ guts by using degrading enzymes Cytochrome P450 & Ferredoxin Reductase (CYP & FR) and monoamine oxidase and Aldose reductase (MAO & ALDR) expressed by our engineered bacteria.
If our project succeeds, we plan to further research whether our design is useful in real practice. Our team decide to negotiate with the local government and strive for a testing field to plant grain, which is located in a locust-prone area. Then, if possible, we could apply for some professional people to overlook the condition of our testing field. Our plan is that this testing field will be separated into two parts. One is experimental group and one is control group. In spring, it is more likely that locust plague would happen. Therefore, we would spray the liquid which contains our engineered bacteria from irrigation sprinkler onto the experimental group. After a few days, we would compare the difference of degree of damage to the grain field between two parts of the field. The expected result is that the experimental group has less degree of damage than the control group, and the remaining locusts can no longer aggregate.
In addition, we will further investigate the concentration of aggregation pheromone, guaiacol and serotonin in the intestinal tract of locusts that have inhaled our engineered bacteria. If the concentration decreases, which match our expectation, then our project would be more comprehensive and successful.
In summer, when locust plagues are not likely to happen, the heat-responsive suicide switch turns on when the temperature is higher than 37°C. If the temperature could not reach that high for a long period, we decide touse the hot air blower to rise up the temperature to 37°Cor even higher in order to make the suicide switch function. This design shows that our proposed implementation is biosafety guaranteed.
