Team:Saint Joseph
Abstract
Laccase has been used for many projects over the years because of its wide range of substrate differing from lignin to other aromatic compounds. This feature makes this enzyme one of the most promising biological solutions for optimising the degradation of industrial waste. Our aim is to design a signal peptide for T. versicolor laccase enzyme and then integrate the gene that codes this signal peptide sequence in Escherichia coli. PelB will be the signal peptide that will direct the laccase enzyme to the periplasmic domain in the E. coli Shuffle strain, facilitating the formation of disulphide bonds, thus increasing its activity and stability. We also plan to use disulphate bonding isomerase (dbs) on other group to see if it is more effective than leading laccase to the periplasm. This way, we will overcome the yield problem that creates a bottleneck for industrial use.
How We Found Our Project?
This year, we started to work on IGEM by creating a club in October. Handan Kesim, our teacher, also our PI, explained the terms of the competition to the team members. We examined the projects of the teams who competed in 2018 and our previous project. Since we are studying in different grades, not all of our team members possess the same level of knowledge in biology. That is why our teacher conducted lessons about genetics, DNA, protein synthesis, synthetic biology, gene transfer, competent cell and recombinant DNA. We learned the rules of IGEM and how to get prepared for the competition with our studies after school. The process of finding our project subject took time. Every team member came up with an idea, everyone did their research. We ran through each idea. We eliminated the ones we thought we wouldn’t be able to accomplish. Read more...
Our Subject: LACCASE
Let's get to know a little about laccase. Laccase is an enzyme that reduces lignin from the class of “multiple copper” oxidases found in higher plants, fungi and some microorganisms. The laccase enzyme, first isolated by Gabriel Bertrand in 1894 from the sap of Japanese varnish tree, reduces an electron in phenolic and phenolic like substrates. Yoshida (1883) made the first research on the laccase enzyme. Read more...
Our Researches
Synthetic dye decolorization by three sources of fungal laccase. It was observed that decolorization efficiency of all dyes was enhanced by increasing of HBT (hydroxybenzotriazole, HBT is a synthetic laccase mediator assisting in laccase oxidation of different substrates by facilitating of electron transfer from O2 to laccase substrate) concentration from 0.1 mM to 5 mM. Decolorization of a wide range of synthetic and textile dyes using laccases from the genus of Trametes (from basidomycete family) has been investigated in recent years. For example, Maalej-Kammoun et al. studied on malachite green decolorization ability of a newly isolated strain of Trametes sp. Furthermore, the laccase from genetically modified Aspergillus oryzae (DeniLite IIS) was applied for elimination of a large number of reactive tex- tile dyes and other xenobiotics.
Human Practices
Human Practices
One of the subjects that we probably spent most of our time on while getting prepared to IGEM competition was "finding a project idea which is useful and effective". We brainstormed various ideas about the project and created a shortlist of ideas among our team.
Team LAKECASE
Meet the great team members behind this project
LAKECASE
We came together for success.