Team:WHU-China/Collaborations
Collaboration
Light promoter was used both in ShanghaiTech_China and WHU-China’s project. ShanghaiTech_China designed blue light system pDawn to control their gene circuit, they were not satisfied with the original light system and did some improvements.
To characterize the improvement, ShanghaiTech-China sent their pDawn and other improved blue light systems with GFP reporter to us. We did the experiments to test whether the improvements were effective. The following is the result.
There was a large leak of pDawn-mEGFP, it may be caused by incomplete shading. But the YF2 and mtac did reduce the leakage rate.
In our project, we designed the light system co-used with the hardware to control the reinforcement process. ShanghaiTech-China provided us their intergrate systems. We used the YF2 in the experiment and gained experiences and obtained preliminary results.
We had a meet-up with ZJU-China in Hangzhou and exchanged the project design. At that time, we designed a binary oscillator to improve the output of AMP and build a mathematical model to compare this binary oscillator with the classical ternary oscillator. We were concerned about the result, so they analyzed the process and discussed the result with us. They thought the result of our binary oscillator may lead to a steady state and it won’t be better than the ternary oscillator. They also pointed out that we could add the product rather than engineered bacteria to the fabrics, it would avoid the problem of AMP output . It inspired us!
After that meeting, we cut the oscillator part and changed our emphasis. We did benefit a lot from this meeting.
We designed GST as a solubility-enhancing tag for AMPs’ expression, but its fusion impeded the function of AMPs, we need to cut the tag. We contacted TJUSLS_China via E-mail, for they had successfully expressed and purified the Prescission Protease to cut a GST tag from the GST tagged protein. They provided us a protocol and shared their experimental experience. Consulting their protocol, we finally successfully get the protease and cut the GST tag from GST-AMPs
This year, we keep in close contact with SZU-China. In June, several members of us went to Shenzhen and had a meet-up with SZU-China in their campus. We exchanged the project and the ideas. In August, we met again in CCiC and chatted a lot in the barbecue. They witnessed our project and inspired us a lot. Especially, they suggested a lot about our hardware, with their advice, we optimized our hardware and estimated the cost for further application. They are so warm-heated and bright, we are pleased to make friends with them, this friendship is one of the most valuable things we gained in the iGEM experience.
Tianjin iGEMers initiated a united human practices for popularizing knowledge about bacteria to the public, 7 other teams participated in. We made videos about the world of microorganism to introduce the bacteria, our team did the introduction part of Acetobacter xylinus, which can produce bacteria cellulose naturally. The united video was uploaded to bilibili and Youtube. We hope that the public can get some basic concepts of bacteria.
(teams:Tianjin/WHU-China/JNU-China/CAU_CHINA/CPU_CHINA/YAU-China/Jilin_China/ShanghaiTech_China)
In May, our team members went to the Shenzhen and had an exchange meeting with SUSTech_China. At the meeting, both teams fully demonstrated the progress of the project and the problems existing in the current project.
When we introduced our design about in integrating AMP into bacterial cellulose, they question the efficiency of this molecular biological process and the method of detection and identification. This promoted us to consider more about the assembly both in theory and experiment.
In SUSTech_China’s project, they used blue light to control the expression of the cell behavior and they need to maintain the cell state in long term experiments, we concerned about the experiment. These concerns led them to carry out functional validation experiments for cell 3D mass and CCK8 experiments for cell state detection.
This meeting made both team to consider more about the subsequent experiments and practical application.
In 2018, WHU-China iGEMers had been to Sun Yat-sen University and communicated with the SYSU-China iGEMers. After that trip, the two teams keep contact with each other. In August this year, we met SYSU-China iGEMers again in CCiC and had a barbecue with SZU-China iGEMers. We chatted a lot from iGEM competition to the college life. It was a memorable night.
When we went to Guangzhou, these lovely guys invited us for “morning tea”- Guangdong specialty on a night of pouring rain. It was really moving that they come to the appointment in such horrible weather. The things made the competition meaningful must contain the camaraderie got in the process.
In September, five teams from Central China Area met in Huazhong University of Science and Technology. We shared the project process with others.
(Team: WHU-China/HUBU-WUHAN/HUST-China/HBUT-/HZAU-China)
