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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 four new destination plasmids with the current iGEM prefix and suffix. These will contain the origin of replication for all three organisms, so that the same plasmid can be used for any of our species. They will contain selection markers which can be universally used. We also plan to produce a series of promoters in these plasmids, as well as a determine which of the current iGEM Biobricks can be expressed in our species. We plan to use 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.

Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.

This is a single celled species of green algae. It is a eukaryotic, photosynthetic organism. It is easily transformable, either by: electroporation; the bacterium Agrobacterium tumorfaciens; glass beads; or by the use of a biolistic particle delivery system (gene gun).

Escherichia coli.

This is a single celled species of bacteria. It is a prokaryotic model organism. It is easily transformable, either by: electroporation or the use of unorthodox salts.It can also be genetically manipulated by conjugation and transduction.

Physcomitrella patens.

This is a multicellular species of moss. It is a eukaryotic, photosynthetic organism.