Difference between revisions of "Team:Marburg/Measurement"

 
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             <h1 class="title">Reporter</h1>
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                 When working in Synthetic Biology, reporter genes such as fluorescence proteins are indispensable elements to characterize BioBricks. For a good characterization a suitable reporter is required. But reporters can be more than just merely a detection tool for transcriptional activity but they can also give a deeper insight into cellular conditions beyond the genetic context. We provide a <a href="https://2019.igem.org/Team:Marburg/Results#marburg_collection" target="_blank">diverse set of reporters</a> not only for the purpose of <a href="https://2019.igem.org/Team:Marburg/Improve">describing genetic tools</a> but also for the sensing of a variety of parameters which are crucial for cyanobacteria.
 
                 When working in Synthetic Biology, reporter genes such as fluorescence proteins are indispensable elements to characterize BioBricks. For a good characterization a suitable reporter is required. But reporters can be more than just merely a detection tool for transcriptional activity but they can also give a deeper insight into cellular conditions beyond the genetic context. We provide a <a href="https://2019.igem.org/Team:Marburg/Results#marburg_collection" target="_blank">diverse set of reporters</a> not only for the purpose of <a href="https://2019.igem.org/Team:Marburg/Improve">describing genetic tools</a> but also for the sensing of a variety of parameters which are crucial for cyanobacteria.
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As an addition to the fluorescent reporters, we included a set of luminescent reporters to bring measurements of genetic constructs to a new level as they mostly bypass autofluorescence from cyanobacterial cells. The red-shifted version of NanoLuc -namely teLuc- bears the potential of the best reporter in <i>S. elongatus</i> as its absorbance bypasses autofluorescent signals better than NanoLuc and shows a higher relative bioluminescent signal<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5678970/" target="_blank">(Yeh <i>et al.</i>, 2017)</a>.
  
 
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               Furthermore, it is possible to determine the cell volume and size, as well as to distinguish between different kinds of cells, particles or cell clumps. For this, there are scatter detectors around the capilar. A forward scatter detector (FSC) and a stream side scatter detector (SSC) are placed around the stream.<br><br>
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               Furthermore, it is possible to determine the cell volume and size, as well as to distinguish between different kinds of cells, particles or cell clumps. For this, there are scatter detectors around the capillary. A forward scatter detector (FSC) and a stream side scatter detector (SSC) are placed around the stream.<br><br>
 
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               <h2 class="subtitle" style="font-size: 1.5rem !important; text-align:center">Flow cytrometry for growth curves</h2>
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               <u>Flow cytrometry for growth curves</u>
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               With the flow cytometry device available to us we were able to capture highly accurate cell counts. This brought us the idea of implementing this technique in a way less related to fluorescent reporters: counting cells in our cultures to capture growth curves instead of relying on optical density measurements. <br><br>
 
               With the flow cytometry device available to us we were able to capture highly accurate cell counts. This brought us the idea of implementing this technique in a way less related to fluorescent reporters: counting cells in our cultures to capture growth curves instead of relying on optical density measurements. <br><br>
 
               Measurements of optical density are highly influenced by a multitude of factors. When measuring samples it is common to receive different results every time the same sample is measured, as in the meantime the distribution of cells inside of the sample has changed - mainly due to them slowly sinking to the bottom of the cuvette while not being shaken. This leads to high measurement errors. <br><br>
 
               Measurements of optical density are highly influenced by a multitude of factors. When measuring samples it is common to receive different results every time the same sample is measured, as in the meantime the distribution of cells inside of the sample has changed - mainly due to them slowly sinking to the bottom of the cuvette while not being shaken. This leads to high measurement errors. <br><br>
               Cell counts offer a promising alternative, as they are independent of factors that could influence OD measurements: impurity in the sample can distort OD measurements, while in flow cytometry the polluting particles will mostly be clearly distinguishable from the other counts. Especially with cyanobacterial cultures this can be used as a huge advantage: the autofluorescence of the cell gives us a clear way to select for the right event counts in our device, which we can then gate in order to receive just the number of cells with the fitting fluorescence signal.<br><br>
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               Cell counting offers a promising alternative, as they are independent of factors that could influence OD measurements: Impurity in the sample can distort OD measurements, while in flow cytometry the polluting particles will mostly be clearly distinguishable from the other counts. Especially with cyanobacterial cultures this can be used as a huge advantage: the autofluorescence of the cell gives us a clear way to select for the right event counts in our device, which we can then gate in order to receive just the number of cells with the fitting fluorescence signal.<br><br>
 
               In order to construct an actual growth curve out of this, another important part is needed: counting beads. The beads emit a distinct fluorescent signal that can be clearly detected and distinguished from other events. Using different filters we can select for the fluorescence we want to look at, i.e. the fluorescence of the beads or the fluorescence of our cyanobacteria. The event number of the counting beads can now be used to determine the exact number of cells in the culture - this is how it works:
 
               In order to construct an actual growth curve out of this, another important part is needed: counting beads. The beads emit a distinct fluorescent signal that can be clearly detected and distinguished from other events. Using different filters we can select for the fluorescence we want to look at, i.e. the fluorescence of the beads or the fluorescence of our cyanobacteria. The event number of the counting beads can now be used to determine the exact number of cells in the culture - this is how it works:
 
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                         <img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2019/f/f2/T--Marburg--CellCountSetup.png" >
 
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                             Fig. 1 - Setup for the creation of growth curves through cell counts with flow cytometry.
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                             Fig. 1 - Setup for the creation of growth curves through cell counting with flow cytometry.
 
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               Comparing flow cytometry measurements to optical density measurements we were able to find some striking differences.
 
               Comparing flow cytometry measurements to optical density measurements we were able to find some striking differences.
               Using the exact same samples and paying very close attention to work carefully we created to growth curves which, although showing the same tendency, differ from one another. While in the optical density measurements the culture seems to shift towards the stationary phase (Fig. 2), the cell counts show us a still exponentially growing culture (Fig. 3). Calculating the doubling time between two exact same time points for both approaches we were again able to find a difference: while the OD730 measurements resulted in a calculated doubling time of 108 minutes for the UTEX 2973 strain, the calculation using cell counts resulted in a doubling time of 94 minutes - a difference of 14 minutes between two measurement methods for the exact same samples!
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               Using the exact same samples and paying very close attention to work carefully we created two growth curves which, although showing the same tendency, differ from one another. While in the optical density measurements the culture seems to shift towards the stationary phase (Fig. 2), the cell counts show us a still exponentially growing culture (Fig. 3). Calculating the doubling time between two exact same time points for both approaches we were again able to find a difference: while the OD730 measurements resulted in a calculated doubling time of 108 minutes for the UTEX 2973 strain, the calculation using cell counts resulted in a doubling time of 94 minutes - a difference of 14 minutes between two measurement methods for the exact same samples!
 
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                         <img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2019/6/65/T--Marburg--GrowthCurveOD.png" alt="GrowthCurveOD">
 
                         <img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2019/6/65/T--Marburg--GrowthCurveOD.png" alt="GrowthCurveOD">
 
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                             Fig.2 - Growth of <i>S. elongatus</i> UTEX 2973 and PCC 7942 measured by optical density.
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                             Fig.2 - Growth of <i>S. elongatus</i> UTEX 2973 and PCC 7942 measured by optical density.<br><br>
 
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                         <img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2019/9/99/T--Marburg--GrowthCurveCellCount.png" alt="CellCountSetup">
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                             Fig.3 - Growth of <i>S. elongatus</i> UTEX 2973 and PCC 7942 measured by flow cytometry.
 
                             Fig.3 - Growth of <i>S. elongatus</i> UTEX 2973 and PCC 7942 measured by flow cytometry.
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               <h2 class="subtitle" style="font-size: 1.5rem !important; text-align:center" >Cell cytometry to examine gene expression levels</h2>
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               <u>Cell cytometry to examine gene expression levels</u>
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               In our project we chose to use flow cytometry as an accurate method, to analyse gene expression levels of genetic constructs.  
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               In our project we chose to use flow cytometry as an accurate method, to analyze gene expression levels of genetic constructs.  
 
               In an extensive experiment we assessed the fluorescence of a transformed YFP-construct in our cured strain, showing that the shuttle vector with the minimal replication element can be maintained in <i>S. elongatus</i> UTEX 2973.
 
               In an extensive experiment we assessed the fluorescence of a transformed YFP-construct in our cured strain, showing that the shuttle vector with the minimal replication element can be maintained in <i>S. elongatus</i> UTEX 2973.
               Using a similar setup as in our growth curve experiments, we analysed the strength of the fluorescence signal over time:  
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               Using a similar setup as in our growth curve experiments, we analyzed the strength of the fluorescence signal over time:  
 
               As expected, no YFP expressing cells could be counted in the wild type strain.
 
               As expected, no YFP expressing cells could be counted in the wild type strain.
 
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               For the conjugant strain it was obvious that a steady fluorescent signal could be obtained. For a lower light intensity the strength of the signal stayed the same throughout the whole experiment, while at higher light intensities a shift towards higher fluorescence intensities could be observed.
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               For the conjugant strain it was obvious that a steady fluorescent signal could be obtained. For a lower light intensity the strength of the signal stayed the same throughout the whole experiment, while at higher light intensities a wider range of fluorescence intensities could be observed.
 
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           <h2 class="subtitle" style="font-size: 1.5rem !important; text-align:center" text-align=center>Fluorescence measurement</h2>
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           <u>Fluorescence measurement</u>
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                     After transfering the cultures into the 96-well-plate the fluorescence of the parts was measured.
 
                     After transfering the cultures into the 96-well-plate the fluorescence of the parts was measured.

Latest revision as of 00:48, 14 December 2019

M E A S U R E M E N T


Introducing new standards in measurement

We entered this project as the first Marburg iGEM team working with Synechococcus elongatus UTEX 2973, the fastest phototrophic organism. Missing knowledge in handling and cultivation of UTEX 2973 left us in front of many problems and questions. Especially the usage of different media, light conditions and other cultivation and measurement parameters were one of the biggest problems we discovered in scientific papers. Many of these problems are reasoned in the ongoing optimization and development of methods and instruments. Therefore it is hard to hold on to special methods; nevertheless, standardization is paramount in Synthetic Biology in order to be able to compare results with other scientists and reproduce their data.


L I G H T
M E A S U R E M E N T


Light measurement is a crucial aspect when working with phototrophic organisms.

R E P O R T E R S


Fluorescence + luminescence reporters

F A C S


FACS Measurements

P A R T
M E A S U R E M E N T


Establishing a high throughput measurement workflow for cyanobacteria.

G R O W T H
C U R V E S


Varying our growth conditions we were finally able to achieve doubling times of under 80 minutes.