Just the other day, i thought about a new "possible" usage of rosetta@home, which might be interesting, or perhaps quite stupid (since i'm not a scientist, i can't evaluate it's intelligence). Are you guys from rosetta able to design a protein, actually an enzime, which would bind up with highly toxic molecule which industries or power plants emmit and break it down into other molecules less or none polluting? "Once the enzime is designed", you can design the equivalent DNA of the gene which encodes for that protein, and implant it into a bacteria, throgh a bacteriofagus or any other better tecnique you are aware of. I know it's possible to go from the amino acid structure to it's equivalent DNA, since there are tables which go from the amino acid to the 3 nucleotides which encode that amino acid. Hopefully, the receiving bacteria will start producing that enizme, and hopefully, during the mitosis, the cell will even duplicate the gene which encodes that protein, so it could bring to life a whole colony of air or water "cleaning" bacteria. Maby, that enzime could bind to multiple substrates, and it would be even more cool if you find a way to make it create ATP or DAPH or any other energy carring molecule ;)

This is just an idea, probably a science-fiction idea..

Paolo

Sounds like a great idea. A specific example would be an enzyme that would break down crued oil. That way the little guys could CONSUME an oil spill before it ever reaches shore or has time to harm much of the environment. And then (presumably) once the spill is cleaned up the little guys would die quietly and do no harm in any other way.

Although, as with many such things, such a baterium could be nasty if spread across Sudi Arabia or something.

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Nature got here first. There are various bacteria that breakdown oils. They have been used commercially to clean up contaminated ground. Deep holes are bored into the area and a mixture of air and bacteria are blown in. Over a period of time the oil products are broken down. Have a look at this site - http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/5334533-claims.html

I gather that Tel Aviv University has been working with these bacteria and has come up with a number of innovations in cleaning up tanker wastes.

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Nature got here first. There are various bacteria that breakdown oils. They have been used commercially to clean up contaminated ground. Deep holes are bored into the area and a mixture of air and bacteria are blown in. Over a period of time the oil products are broken down. Have a look at this site - http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/5334533-claims.html

I gather that Tel Aviv University has been working with these bacteria and has come up with a number of innovations in cleaning up tanker wastes.

Well, this idea doens't have to specifically target oil spills.. I was more thinking of air pollution coming from industries, or power plants.. To say the truth, this idea is kinda vague, but the point was mainly to find out if rosetta can help the enviroment, besides curing diseases.. Thanks anyway for the link! Btw, maeby the "natural" bacteria they are currently using for oil spills create some enviroment issues, or are not effiecient enough.. Infact, I don't think that people are able yet to completely stop an oil spill

Paolo

Well, this idea doens't have to specifically target oil spills.. I was more thinking of air pollution coming from industries, or power plants.. To say the truth, this idea is kinda vague, but the point was mainly to find out if rosetta can help the enviroment, besides curing diseases.. Thanks anyway for the link! Btw, maeby the "natural" bacteria they are currently using for oil spills create some enviroment issues, or are not effiecient enough.. Infact, I don't think that people are able yet to completely stop an oil spill

Paolo

I'm convinced the applications for enzymes are only limited by imagination. It isn't just about doing things we can't currently do - there are thousands of improvements that can be made to current industrial processes too.

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