Patent ID: 6841376

Claim:
A recombinant bistable genetic toggle switch that is capable of being stable in a first state or in a second state in the absence of a switching agent, the toggle switch comprising: (a) a first nucleic acid construct comprising a first promoter operably associated with a first gene encoding a first repressor protein, wherein transcription from the first promoter is active in the absence of a repressor; and (b) a second nucleic acid construct comprising a second promoter operably associated with a second gene encoding a second repressor protein, wherein transcription from the first promoter is active in the absence of a repressor, and wherein the second repressor protein, when produced, is capable of repressing transcription from the first promoter, and wherein repression of the first promoter by the second repressor protein is reducible by a first switching agent, and wherein the first repressor protein, when produced, is capable of repressing transcription from the second promoter, and wherein repression of the second promoter by the first repressor protein is reducible by a second switching agent, and wherein components of the bistable genetic toggle switch are selected so that the first switching agent causes the toggle switch to switch from a second stable state to a first stable state and the second switching agent causes the toggle switch to switch from a first stable state to a second stable state.