Is maritime transportation important?
Yes, maritime transportation is very important
Japan is an island nation. More than 98% of its trade is dependent on maritime transport. Japan has one of the largest Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) in the world, and its available marine resources are very large in relation to its land area. Fisheries have long thrived in Japan, and the country is supported by a rich variety of sea creatures for food. Effective utilization of the ocean is essential for Japan's future development.
Globally, the amount of transportation by ship is on the rise. Increasing ties among countries around the world due to globalization will continue to increase the volume of maritime transport. Maritime transport is also indispensable in the trade of resources such as fossil fuels, which are concentrated in certain regions.
But sessile organisms interfere with marine transportation
The problem that is causing problems in such marine transportation is sessile organisms. Barnacles and mussels are well-known examples of such organisms. These organisms stick to the bottom of the ship, increasing the ship's weight and resistance to water currents. This leads to a reduction in vessel speed.
With reduced speed comes the need for more fuel consumption. The carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and sulfur oxides produced by excess fuel consumption directly contribute to global warming and air pollution. Excess fuel costs also cause economic problems.
Current adhesion inhibitors are very harmful to the ecosystem
Various measures have been taken to address the problem of sessile organisms. Most of the existing measures are based on directly killing sessile organisms with toxic substances. However, this naturally has a negative impact on the marine environment. The use of these substances is being regulated one after another. The inhibitors currently permitted for use have also been reported to have adverse effects on sessile organisms. These substances are destructive to the marine ecosystem, which is a complex interconnected system of organisms. For sustainable use of the oceans, it is urgent to develop new methods to inhibit adhesion.
The answer from iGEM Tsukuba;
Synthesize environmentally friendly adhesion inhibitors with E. coli!
Use of adhesion inhibitors produced by natural organisms
Some sessile organisms produce adhesion inhibitors. Nudibranchs, sponges, and red algae are known examples. These organisms cannot survive if attached to their body surfaces.
These organisms produce and secrete substances on their body surfaces that inhibit attachment. Since these substances are natural organic compounds, they are thought to have no impact on the marine environment. If humans can use these substances as attachment inhibitors, we can solve the complex environmental problems described so far all at once.
One of the advantages of these substances is that they are more effective at low doses than the conventional attachment inhibitors. Another major advantage is that they do not kill any sessile organisms and do not affect their survival at all when they inhibit attachment.
This is because it inhibits attachment by preventing the metamorphosis of larvae of sessile organisms drifting in the ocean. Since these organisms are part of the marine ecosystem, not killing them is an essential protection of the marine ecosystem. Despite these great advantages, research on the chemical synthesis of these organisms has not yet reached the stage of social implementation.
Advantages of our idea
This is why we turned to synthetic biology. Sxxynthetic biology allows us to directly exploit the complex metabolic systems within organisms to produce these natural organic compounds. There are many different types of natural organic compounds that are effective against sessile organisms, but we focused on a substance called cyclo-L-Trp-L-Ala.
This substance is derived from a fungus that lives symbiotically in sponges. Biosynthesis involves Trp, Ala, and tRNA. Therefore, a relatively simple manipulation of primary metabolism to increase these substances can be expected to increase the amount of synthesis. By implementing mass production with synthetic biology in society, we can solve all the environmental problems in marine vessels.
Additional benefits of our projects
Our technology can solve not only problems in ships. For example, damage caused by sessile organisms has been confirmed in power plants that use seawater as cooling water. Fishing nets in fishing areas have also been found to be degraded by sessile organisms. We can solve these problems at facilities near the ocean in an environmentally friendly manner.
iGEM Tsukuba's approach has been to integrate a variety of activities, including experimentation, modeling, and Human Practice.
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Project Description
Experiments
Human Practices
Education