Team:LMU-Munich

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Revision as of 14:49, 8 September 2012

The LMU-Munich team is exuberantly happy about the great success at the World Championship Jamboree in Boston. Our project Beadzillus finished 4th and won the prize for the "Best Wiki" (with Slovenia) and "Best New Application Project".

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Beadzillus: Fundamental BioBricks for Bacillus subtilis and spores as a platform for protein display

We chose to work with Bacillus subtilis to set new horizons and offer tools for this model organism to the Escherichia coli-dominated world of iGEM. Therefore, we created a BacillusBioBrickBox (BBBB) composed of reporter genes, defined promoters, as well as reporter, expression, and empty vectors in BioBrick standard. B. subtilis naturally produces stress resistant endospores which can germinate in response to suitable environmental conditions. To highlight this unique feature using the BBBB, we developed Sporobeads. These are spores displaying fusion proteins on their surface. As a proof of principle, we fused GFP to the outermost layer. Expanding this idea, we designed a Sporovector to easily create any Sporobead imaginable. Because the Sporobeads must be biologically safe and stable vehicles, we prevented germination by knocking out involved genes and developed a Suicideswitch turned on in case of germination. With the project Beadzillus, our team demonstrates the powerful nature of B. subtilis.

Project Navigation

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Bacillus Intro	Bacillus BioBrickBOX	SporeCoat FusionProteins	Germination STOP

Team LMU Munich 2012

We are the iGEM team of the Ludwig-Maximilians-University (LMU) in Munich. The team consists of 10 dedicated members: 7 students and our 3 advisors.

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-Our project will combine the idea of biological "beads" with the production of endospores in the gram-positive bacteria ''Bacillus subtilis''. Our goal is to induce the production of specific proteins on the outer surface of ''B. subtilis'' endospores, and knock out spore germination-inducing genes such that the spores can be used as beads, without the ability to germinate.
-''B. subtilis'' spores are particularly suited to be used in industrial-type applications as "beads" due to their resistance to extreme heat, cold, to desiccation and disinfectants, and even to radiation.
+==='''Bead'''zillus: Fundamental BioBricks for ''Bacillus subtilis'' and spores as a platform for protein display===
-Each ''B. subtilis'' cell produces only one endospore -- in addition to developing our altered strain, we must work to ensure a dependable supply, since we will be removing one of their means of reproduction.
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+We chose to work with <i>Bacillus subtilis</i> to set new horizons and offer tools for this model organism to the <i>Escherichia coli</i>-dominated world of iGEM. Therefore, we created a <b><i>Bacillus</i>B</b>io<b>B</b>rick<b>B</b>ox (<b>BBBB</b>) composed of reporter genes, defined promoters, as well as reporter, expression, and empty vectors in BioBrick standard. <i>B. subtilis</i> naturally produces stress resistant endospores which can germinate in response to suitable environmental conditions. To highlight this unique feature using the <b>BBBB</b>, we developed <b>Sporo</b>beads. These are spores displaying fusion proteins on their surface. As a proof of principle, we fused GFP to the outermost layer. Expanding this idea, we designed a <b>Sporo</b>vector to easily create any <b>Sporo</b>bead imaginable. Because the <b>Sporo</b>beads must be biologically safe and stable vehicles, we prevented germination by knocking out involved genes and developed a <b>Suicide</b>switch turned on in case of germination. With the project <b>Bead</b>zillus, our team demonstrates the powerful nature of <i>B. subtilis</i>.
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