Genome composer

promoters

• T7 Promoter

  Strong constitutive bacteriophage promoter; high expression, no regulation.

  upkeep 2 · constitutive

• lac Promoter

  IPTG-inducible; tight off-state, medium expression. The classic workhorse.

  upkeep 3 · inducible

• tac Promoter

  Hybrid trp/lac promoter: stronger than lac, still IPTG-inducible. The loud one.

  upkeep 3 · inducible

• Cold-shock Promoter

  Activates at low temperature; temperature shut-off above 20 °C.

  upkeep 3 · inducible

• Heat-shock Promoter (dnaK)

  Fires under heat stress; drives chaperone and repair expression when it matters.

  upkeep 3 · inducible

• araBAD Promoter

  Arabinose-inducible with catabolite repression tuning.

  upkeep 3 · inducible

• Photosynthetic operon promoter

  Light-responsive promoter from a cyanobacterial operon; gates photosynthesis genes.

  upkeep 4 · inducible

genes (ORFs)

• hsp70 chaperone

  Heat-shock protein; refolds denatured proteins. The single best thermotolerance investment.

  upkeep 5 · stress response

• sodA superoxide dismutase

  Scavenges superoxide radicals — the first line against ionizing and UV damage.

  upkeep 4 · stress response

• katG catalase-peroxidase

  Breaks down hydrogen peroxide; complements recA by removing the damage at its source.

  upkeep 4 · stress response

• afp antifreeze protein

  Inhibits ice recrystallization — the cold-adapted organism's answer to freezing.

  upkeep 3 · stress response

• ectAB ectoine synthase

  Synthesizes ectoine, the compatible solute of halophiles. Brine worlds, solved.

  upkeep 6 · osmotic

• ccoNO cytochrome c oxidase

  High-affinity respiratory oxidase — squeezes energy out of thin atmospheres.

  upkeep 7 · energy

• hupSL uptake hydrogenase

  Oxidizes atmospheric H₂ for energy — a niche that pays brilliantly on reducing worlds.

  upkeep 6 · energy

• mcrABCD methyl-reductase complex

  Methanogenesis: the deepest-branching metabolism on Earth. Lives where nothing else will.

  upkeep 9 · metabolism

• gvp gas-vesicle protein cluster

  Protein gas vesicles for buoyancy — drift to the photic zone instead of sinking.

  upkeep 5 · ecology

• recA repair recombinase

  SOS response hub: homologous recombination, DNA repair, damage checkpoint.

  upkeep 4 · stress response

• Dsup (damage suppression)regulated

  Tardigrade radiotolerance protein; binds chromatin and reduces double-strand breaks.

  upkeep 3 · stress response

• psbA (D1 reaction-center protein)

  Core of photosystem II; sets the ceiling on photon capture efficiency.

  upkeep 6 · energy

• rbcL/cbbL (RuBisCO large subunit)

  Carbon fixation engine; converts captured light into biomass. Slow but essential.

  upkeep 8 · energy

• proP (proline/betaine importer)

  Osmoprotectant uptake; survives brine and desiccation by balancing turgor.

  upkeep 4 · osmotic

• crtI carotenoid pathway

  Pigment synthesis; antioxidant shield and photoprotection. Tints the culture gold.

  upkeep 3 · pigment

• spo0A phosphorelay

  Master regulator of sporulation; endospores ride out almost anything — slowly.

  upkeep 5 · dormancy

• nifH nitrogenase reductase

  Fixes atmospheric N₂ into ammonia. Oxygen-sensitive, but lifesaving on barren worlds.

  upkeep 9 · metabolism

• atpAGD synthase operon

  Energy currency synthase; raises metabolic ceiling, raises hunger equally.

  upkeep 7 · metabolism

• cry toxin cassetteregulated

  Delta-endotoxin crystal protein. Insecticidal. Watch-list material.

  upkeep 6 · defense

• bla antibiotic resistance markerregulated

  Selection marker. Indispensable in the lab; a headline risk outside it.

  upkeep 2 · selection

• biofilm/adhesion operonregulated

  Surface adhesion and biofilm matrix; also the chassis of airborne transmission.

  upkeep 5 · ecology

terminators

• T1 terminator

  Strong bidirectional terminator; clean stops, low readthrough.

  upkeep 1 · strong

• T7 terminator

  Bacteriophage T7 terminator; very high efficiency under T7 RNAP.

  upkeep 1 · strong

• LE weak terminator

  Deliberately leaky; readthrough can couple adjacent cassettes.

  upkeep 1 · weak

regulatory

• tetR repressor (trans)

  Tetracycline-repressible regulator; pairs with tetO-tagged promoters.

  upkeep 4 · regulatory

• luxI synthase (quorum sensing)

  Autoinducer synthase; lets the culture sense its own density.

  upkeep 4 · regulatory

plugin: xenobiologist's toolkit

• csgA curli subunitplugin

  Functional amyloid fibre — surface adhesion taken to its conclusion. Watch-list material.

  upkeep 5 · ecology

• soxS stress promoterplugin

  Fires only under oxidative stress; spends nothing until the world pushes back.

  upkeep 3 · inducible