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From 2012.igem.org

ZJU Jamboree

 

ZJU Jamboree is top big event in ZJU-China Human Practice for this year. There were 60 members of SBC registered for ZJU Jamboree. We divided the ZJU Jamboree for 3 sections: introduction sessions, winter brainstorming, and final presentations.

 

During sessions, SBC members (three of the ex-participant of ZJU-China 2011, Luyi Tian) delivered lectures. Then the participants were divided into 20 groups randomly with 3 in each, and were assigned randomly with projects from previous iGEM projects in order to familiarize them with the content of a mature iGEM project. Each of group has a mentor (senior SBC members, who are also team members of ZJU-iGEM 2011). Then each team was required to give a presentation of the assigned previous projects and had a discussion with their mentors.

 

Winter brainstorming is most exciting part of ZJU Jamboree, from which our participants could truly grasp the joy of finding their specific interests in synthetic biology. In winter vacation, our participants were asked to form groups freely and to design one or more detailed projects. There will be requirements about their paper-based Mid-report, which was due on Jan 30, 2012; their Final-report was due before the jamboree. And they did a fantastic job in bringing out brilliant ideas; remarkably, some of them (Wenhao Ling and Heng Yao) even visited the local high school as a human practice part of their winter projects.

 

In the beginning of February, our ZJU Jamboree started (on Feb 11-12, 2012)! Each group gave a presentation to all other club members to introduce their project plan, and most importantly their original ideas. We are all greatly inspired by their presentations, and so proud of our members. ZJU Jamboree also gave birth to the original thought of HP Creative Workshop (We received so many interesting ideas of human practice). Some of the club members remarked that it's one of the best academic experiences they ever had in college.

 

Group "Lignin Cinderella"

 

Project Abstract: Synthetic biology holds great promise regarding the production of important compounds, and the degradation of harmful ones. In this grogram, we harness the power of synthetic biology to meet the world’s needs for fuel and environment. We try to express the gene coding lignin prtoxidase (Lip), found in the white rot fungus Phanerochaete Chrysosporium, into genetically modified crop cells and degrade lignin after mechanically breaking up the structure of crop cell. And to control the expression, we design a molecular logical switch through the amplification of cascade reaction, combining the start controlling condition of expression of lignin peroxidase (Lip) or its promotor into the metabolic regulation of crop growth-related genes. So that controlling the accumulation of Lip in cell will reach peak when crop is in a specific period, such as harvest. In this way, we can also insert into another lignin degrading enzyme, such as Glox, Mnp and Lac. If we make it, it will become a new way in degrading lignin and cut the cost in paper pulp industry and biofinery. And it is also a novel way to bring and control heterologous gene in eukaryotic

 

Promotor Library:

 

Group Member: Wenhao Lin, Xinyi Guo, Heng Yao, Kexin Nie, Jiajun Lv.

 

Highlight in this group:

 

"Lignin Cinderella" is probably one of the best in this Jamboree due to their fully developed project; they grasp the crucial idea of synthetic biology and brainstorm a project in detail. By going through their final report, we can see they did a good background study, and provide detailed methods in both experiment itself and plasmid designing. It’s innovative and fully developed. Apart from their experiment design, the project also has modeling part and even a website. We enjoy their idea of using Cinderella as well as the logo animation. What’s more, they even go to local high school to introduce iGEM and synthetic biology as their human practice part, which is really impressive.

 

Group "Algae Digester"

 

Project Abstract: In this project, we tackle the issue of biofuels, which is a hot spot in synthesis biology nowadays. Based on some recent researches, we plan to enable the engineered E.coli to digest algae and turn the polysaccharide to fuel substitutes or precursors suitable for gasoline, diesel, and jet engines. We also tried to make efforts in dry lab, which can contribute to our project at a systematic level.

 

Group Member: Qian Mei, Tianqi Chen, Xiao Xu, Zhile Ren.

 

Highlight in this group:

 

Their systematic way of organizing their final report and presentation leave a good impression on us.

 

Group "Methane Alarm"

 

Project Abstract: We aim to design a methane alarm for coal mine by methanotrophs, which consists of four parts: decomposition, sensor, signal tuner and output. Decomposition part takes in methane and conducts catalytic decomposition of methane to CO2 or assimilates methane as its own organic compounds. This function is the naturally exist in methanotrophs. Sensor senses the concentration of methane and produces activator A. As for signal tuner part, we plan to find a substance B which is sensitive to the concentration of activator A. Activator A and substance B combines to control the activity of substance C. Substance C acts as the switch of promoter--when the concentration of methane has been exceeded the alarm threshold, promoter will turn on. Output part will give the alarm by producing pigment of red lycopene when promoter is open. We plan to put methanotrophs on the miner lamp. When the bacteria produce pigment, the light through bacteria will turn out to be red.

 

Group Member: Yan yan, Huachun Liu, Yue Zhang, Mengqi Hu.

 

Group "Tanbio"

 

Project Abstract: Tanbio is a bacterial system which can switch between different states by light. The system consists of a synthetic sensor of light and a switch which can control the express of anti-melanin gene. Thus, when exposed under the light, the bacterial system will produce melanin, while it will not without light. Tanbio can function as a biological film, such that the projection of a pattern of light on to the bacteria produces a high-definition, two-dimensional chemical image. It can also be applied to make light-tight materials which can adapt to the intensity of light automatically.

 

Tan means 'brown' or make skin brown by receiving illumination of the sun. We name the system ‘Tanbio’, because the bacteria turn brown under the light, just like people who get a good sun - tan on the beach.

 

Group Member: Jiahui Zhang, Zhewei Wang, Yanjing Liu, Jiayi Chen

 

Group "Magnetosome"

 

Project Abstract: The mean point of our project is to utilize the magnetism of the magnetic bacteria to construct targeted medicine that can cure cancer. The magnetic bacteria can produce a membrane structure, magnetosome. Our work is to modify the magnetosome to carry with drug molecule. To detect them, we also fuse the yellow fluorescing protein to the membrane of magnetosome. Use additional magnetic field to fix the location of the drug molecule just in the cancer cell area in the human body. When the magnetosome and cancer cell combine, the drug molecule in the magnetosome will be released because we also fuse an antibody to the membrane protein of magnetosome. This antibody can cause the endocytosis, so the magnetosome as well as drug molecule are swallowed by the cancer cell.

 

Group Member: Niu Fang, Kaifeng Bo

 

Group "Pribnow box"

 

Project Abstract: We want to explore the influence of the change of the consensus sequence in prokaryotes. The sequence is TATAAT.

 

1. Point mutations in the Pribnow box: a transversion (G-->T) in the first base for one mutant or a transition (G-->A) in the fifth base of the -10 consensus sequence.

 

2. Length of the Pribnow box: insert a copy of consensus sequence in the upstream or downstream of the Pribnow box, but before the starting point.

 

3. Location of the Pribnow box: put the Pribnow box in other place in the range of promoter.

 

After the promoters of all mutants, we insert gene of RFP. So the function of device is characterized by the amount of RFP expressed. The amount of RFP expressed is reflected by the light emitted when RFP acts on the appropriate substrate.

 

Group Member: Tiantian Zhou, Xiao Liu, Jiansi Gao, Hongyi You

 

Group "Methane synthesizer"

 

Project Abstract: Our project aims to study the mechanisms and genetic nature of anaerobic archaea methanogens using small molecules such as CO2 and hydrogen to synthetizing methane. Transform its genetic code to make it a stronger ability to adapt to the environment and to be regulated, and increase their metabolism and reproductive efficiency to improve the efficiency of methane production. Building blocks to make it into sleep under aerobic conditions and make it back to active and produce much methane under high concentration of CO2

 

Group Member: Qianliang Pan, Bohan Zhou.