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Fine-tuning Biological Circuit Using Genetic Rheostat
Genetic rheostats are truly modular ligand-responsive riboswitches, while the RBS calculator is software for both translation of ligand concentration into quantified translation strength and automated design of synthetic ribosome binding sites (RBS) with customized strength.
Long story short: Team Peking is going to present a new way of finetuning biological circuits. Riboswitches shall give control of gene expression dependent of TPP.
Showing the characterization of their rheostat, they show that higher TPP results in lower reporter (GFP) expression. It also seems to be robust and independent enough for lots of promoter-gene combinations. That team loves thermodynamics.
They show how they optimized Sali’s model for quantification of translation strengths using a Thermodynamic Scoring Matrix. Their optimization seems to have worked pretty well, comparing before/after results.
From Ligand concentration to RBS Sequence: Converting any given TPP concentration into a RBS sequence using their RBS calculator.
A picture of their stochastic model explains, how they bring translation strengths to different color signal outputs (RFP, GFP) and how they fine tune the outcome using different TPP concentrations. There is a centered area though, where the whole system is bistable.
In the next part of the talk, Peking presents Biosynthetic pathways, they want to fine tune in terms of translation strength. In their example it’s Violacein production.
Human Practice consisting of high school visits and an investigation of antibiotics use plus awareness of biosafety issues in labs.
That was the last iGEM team of the Championships. Highschool teams are coming up, though.
