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Team:Copenhagen/Project
Why cyanobacteria?The aim of this year’s University of Copenhagen iGEM team is to produce a sustainable light source based on genetically engineered cyanobacteria.
Everywhere in the modern world we use light – not only in the day-time but also extensively during the night. In big cities, we enjoy the majestic view of a lit up facade of a building, and companies call attention to their product by a commercial neon sign. Evidently, the use of electrical light in these settings has many purposes – which we can enjoy and take advantage of. Unfortunately, electrical light is not for free – it affects our budgets as well as the environment. Our eager use contributes to the drainage of the earth’s fuel reserves and to the emission of CO2, which enforces global warming. Therefore, if we want to keep the privileges that light emission gives us, we need to come up with some new solutions that do not harm our planet. The University of Copenhagen iGEM team has therefore come up with the idea of using biologically produced light – so-called bioluminescence – by genetically engineering cyanobacteria. By using a dark induced promotor the cyanobacteria will become bioluminous and emit light, only when it is dark. This way, we aim to create CyanoDelux - a sustainable light source that can be used during night!
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iGEM Medals Requirements Bronze  Team registration Complete Judgment form. Team Wiki.
Plan to present a poster and a talk at the iGEM Jamboree At least one new submitted and well-characterized standard BioBrick Part or Device.Silver
Gold For Gold Medal, either of the following must be checked
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General design
Initially the project sets with identification of native promoters from cyanobacteria responding to the day-night-cycle. Those will be spliced into an iGEM-biobrick together with the luxCDABE cassette containing the essential luciferase enzyme (and auxillary enzymes necessary for its function). The process is carried out in E.coli, and afterwards the complete plasmid is transferred to cyanobacteria (strain PCC6803). The endogenous transcription factors present in cyanobacteria should appropriately active transcription from the genetically spliced promoter thus driving transcription only during nighttime. In conjunction we will as a proof-of-principle experiment use the already existing plasmids pDawn and pDusk and BioBricks from the iGEM Registry, to, in a similar manner, create a luciferase containing plasmid, but with an artificial promoter system responding directly to light-dark conditions. It serves as a parallel control experiment. Both of these systems will subsequently be thoroughly analyzed to determine important characteristics of the system including kinetics and efficiency of the expression levels. To achieve this quantification we will collaborate with fellow Mathematics and Physics students at University Copenhagen. In this our date can be compared to simulations. As an example it be possible to put CO2 consumption by the cyanobacteria in relation to the emitted bioluminescence thus describing the degree of sustainability or ‘greenness’ of the system.
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Mathematical modelsWe don't have any data yet, but it will come soon so visit regularly to get the latest update. See full data page. |
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ResultsAt this point there are no data submitted. Please check later. See our results. |
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Impact factors:Our project aims to create a regulated light-producing BioBrick and thus add it to the partsregistry of BioBricks, a continuously growing collection of genetic parts that can be mixed and matched to build synthetic biology devices and systems (partsregistry.org ). Hence our project contributes to the expansion of the partsregistry, benefitting all researchers with interest in bioluminescence in cyanobacterias. The partsregistry is founded on an open source philosophy, a philosophy we see as a great advantage for development and improvement of the number BioBricks already existing. The addition of our BioBrick to this catalogue will perhaps encourage other groups to look at other aspects of the many functions of cyanobacterias and thus contribute to the formation of new biological systems further expanding the field of synthetic biology. |
| Comments or questions to the team? Please mail us at igemcopenhagen@gmail.com |
