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Team:UEA-JIC Norwich/Project
From 2011.igem.org
Project Abstract.
For our project we wished to introduce two new model organisms: Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and Phycomitrella patens, an algae and a moss, respectively. Both are eukaryotic, photosynthetic organisms. These will pave the way for including plant species in the iGEM competition. We felt this would be a good direction for iGEM to take as plant genetics will always be a vital area of research for the future, impacting on areas such as crop growth, drug production and combating global warming.
We plan to introduce two new destination plasmids. These will consist of the 2011 iGEM plasmid complete with chloramphenicol resistance, and both will contain the current iGEM prefix and suffix. They will contain selection markers which can be universally used. We plan to submit a range of Biobricks within these two plasmids. These will include promoters, terminators, reporters, generators and composites. We will be testing around 60 of the current iGEM Biobricks in our two organisms and selecting those that work to be submitted. Of those that fail in our two organisms, we will attempt to either optimise these or place them behind promoters specific to each species to try and increase their expression. We also plan to introduce a series of promoters specific to our two species in these plasmids for future iGEM competitions to use. We plan to focus most on light production in the algae and moss as an example of the ability to use the Biobrick structures in these organisms.
The aim of our project is to genetically modify three organisms so that they become luminescent when in the dark. Currently we are aiming to work with the species Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, Escherichia coli, and Physcomitrella patens. We will simultaneously attempt to incorporate the light sensing and light producing systems into these organisms. There are a range of uses for this.
1. Practical applications: A system causing part or all of a plant to glow in certain situations has obvious pragmatic benefits: if a crop were designed so that when in the presence of a pathogen it emitted light, then at night a farmer would be able to quickly ascertain areas of infection.
2. If the system could be engineered into, for example, grass, then patches of this glowing grass could be planted along the sides of winding country roads. There are safety aspects of this to consider, including the ability of our luminescent grass to mate with other species of grass and transfer the gene system.
2. Energy Conservations: Imagine walking down a street where half of the lampposts have vanished and been replaced with glowing trees. This would reduce the energy required to power street lighting, lowering the carbon footprint of any town or city.
3. Novel applications: These are the less practical, more quirky aspects of the technology we’re creating. This includes uses such as glowing house plants, which could then be used either as nightlights for children, as romantic ‘mood setters’, or as useful homing beacons when you’re drunkenly stumbling towards your bedroom. Though these too would likely have an effect on energy consumptions of individual households, the impact would be less intense.
