Our Project

Main Theme

How wonderful is it if you can see flowers in full glory in any season? Flowers are beautiful and fruits are delicious. If flowers bloom whenever you like, you could eat tasty fruits and see beautiful flowers in any time. It is what we humans have been looking for that the technology to make flowers bloom. And this is the technology that is going to be implemented by iGEM Kyoto.

There is a plant hormone that was not discovered for about 70 years since existence was foretold in 1936. In 2007, it is confirmed that FLOWERING LOCUS T discovered by Mr.Araki (Kyoto University) is the plant hormone, Florigen.

Florigen controls and triggers flowering in plants. Florigen is made in leaves and then it is translocated to shoot apex of a plant.　Florigen activates flowering determining gene in shoot apex.

We will create Flower Fairy E.coli. This will make Florigen and introduce it into plants! This enables us to make flowers bloom on demand!

When we wish to achieve our goal, there are several hurdles. First, needless to say, we must make Escherichia.coli express Florigen that functions correctly. Second, we must make secretion system without cell death because Flower Fairy E.coli have to secrete florigen constantly when they are injected into plant and switched on. Third, Florigen which is secreted must be introduced into plant cells without damage.

We have 3 groups and 2 of 3 groups works for main theme. Florigen and Secretion group.

Sub Theme

Promotor region in a gene binds to RNA polymerase and determines how many the gene is transcripted and expressed. Generally, one gene has one promoter. It makes behavior of genes simple and comprehensible. But, when one gene has several promoters, how the gene behave? No one knows the answer because there is no gene that have several promotors. For example, we do not know whether a gene that have two T7 promoters is more expressed than another gene that have one T7 promoter.

We noticed and decided to study the pazzle. We also know and be interested in Golden Gate Assembry, so we verify Golden Gate Assembry and use the assembry in order to constract genes that have several promoters.

Golden Gate group works for this sub theme.

Future Works

Main Theme

We noticed only flowering and florigen in this time but there are many many other plant hormones. We made translocation pathway from E.coli into plant cells, so we will be able to introduce plant hormones into plant cells if E.coli can make them. It means we can control plant growth in any stage through genetically engineered E.coli. In the future that is not so far, we will be able to meddle in plants' growth――germinating, elongation, flowering, and fructification. We human will finally accomplish a technology that control plants perfectly.

Moreover, R9 peptide functions not only plant cell. R9 peptide works on animal cell similarly. It means that now we find a pathway into any kinds of cells. R9 peptide tag enables us to introduce proteins into any cells, so we will be able to controll all living cells using this technology.

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