The project aims to design a bacterial reprogrammable memory with genetically engineered E.coli colonies in solid medium working as an array of binary memory cells. To engineer bacteria we designed a genetic flip-flop (SR Latch) composed of a binary memory and an UV sensitive trigger. We chose UV to have a fine spatial selectivity in programming the cells and IPTG to reset all the memory cells. We designed the circuit by model-based analysis. Core elements of the genetic memory are two mutually regulated promoters. Each promoter has as an operator site flanking a constitutive promoter. Thus, promoter transcriptional strength and repressor binding affinity can be independently fixed. Operators for LacI, TetR, Lambda and LexA repressors were cloned as BioBricks to allow the rational design of regulated promoters that is still lacking in the Registry. A simple procedure was established to characterize the regulated promoter. We expect these parts to be a benefit in many Synthetic Biology applications. Click here for more information...