Team:Missouri Miners/Project
Description and Inspiration
Genetic Engineering is an incredible technology. It has the possibility to revolutionize countless areas of science, from medicine to agriculture. You must also know then, of the stigma and negative connotation that too often accompanies discussion of genetic engineering. The goal of our iGEM team this year is to do our part to combat that stigma by making the topic of genetic engineering approachable to all people.
One of the best ways to help people accept an opinion or idea that is different from what they believe is to offer some common ground. In the case of our project, we are entering the magical world of Harry Potter. The wet lab portion of our project will be the designing of five different bacterial strains. Four of these strains will represent the four houses of the wizarding school of Hogwarts: Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Slytherin, and Gryffindor. Into each of these strains, we will enter a sequence that will lead to the production of a homoserine lactone. Homoserine lactones are naturally occurring signaling molecules. These molecules can signal the change in the expression of genes in other nearby cells. This is where the fifth strain will come into play. Into the fifth strain, we will insert the necessary sequences to sense the four homoserine lactones from the house colonies. Each house will produce a molecule that is distinct from the other three. When the fifth strain senses one of the homoserine lactones from a house colony it will also fluoresce the color that corresponds with that house.
The idea then, is that the house colonies will compete in a sort of house cup. In the Harry Potter series, the four houses compete against each other for house points throughout the year. The house with the most points at the end of the year wins the house cup. In our work, the four house strains will be plated at the periphery of a plate. The fifth, sensing strain, will be placed in the center of the plate. The houses will then compete for levels of fluorescence rather than house points. The winning strain will be the one that produces the most fluorescence in the sensing colonies by producing the best or most homoserine lactone molecules. Predictions and modelling can be conducted based on the properties of lactones regarding their size, polarity, and functional groups. UV-Vis spectroscopy can be conducted at the end of the experiment to qualitatively determine the winner.
Ideally, the actual wet lab for this experiment, while extensive, should be fairly straightforward. This means that we will be able to focus significant effort on our outreach programs. Once the work has been completed throughout the course of the summer, we can take our results to schools, science centers, and other gatherings throughout the area. The goal is to be able to present to them as application of genetic engineering techniques with a tangible, visible product. The process of what we hope to do is explainable at a level understandable to most ages. We have members of our team excited about digitally designing models and diagrams of what is happening at the molecular scale. Not only this, but we will have images of actual plates showing the results of what has occurred. And of course, all of the material presented will be related back to Harry Potter. By presenting the material in a concise, easy to understand format in relation to the familiar topic of Harry Potter, the once intimidating topic of genetic engineering can be made approachable and exciting.
The problem of the negative stigma of genetic engineering is not one that can be solved overnight. And rightly so. It is a powerful technology that has a lot of potential. This potential is incredible, but it also brings with it the inherent potential for negative uses. The discussion of what kind of genetic engineering is acceptable and what is not is and important one and will become increasingly more so in the near future. In order to give the topic the respect it deserves, and to not bar ourselves from future opportunities and products, we must be well educated on what it is and what it can be. We will present genetic engineering in a positive light and show its capabilities while providing knowledge on how it works. Education begins with a conversation, and we hope our Missouri Miners iGEM can help break the ice and get it started.
Lab Work
Hi Lynell