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<p>We are a diverse group of high school students from China, studying in Beijing, Tianjin, the United States or Switzerland, as well as in Shanghai Foreign Language School. This year, we modified the metabolic pathway of <em>Pichia Pastoris</em>, a type of yeast that can convert methanol to other carbon compounds by rewiring its homogeous circuits expressing the transcription factors that would up-regulate the expression of AOX1, the protein allowing it to metabolize methanol. Our experiments yielded positive results. In addition, we integrated human practices into our project by talking to professionals and distributing questionnaires to more than 700 individuals living in Shanghai. We designed two models to make sure our experiment design was valid and to prove its industrial uses. Want to know more? Let's start the journey!</p> | <p>We are a diverse group of high school students from China, studying in Beijing, Tianjin, the United States or Switzerland, as well as in Shanghai Foreign Language School. This year, we modified the metabolic pathway of <em>Pichia Pastoris</em>, a type of yeast that can convert methanol to other carbon compounds by rewiring its homogeous circuits expressing the transcription factors that would up-regulate the expression of AOX1, the protein allowing it to metabolize methanol. Our experiments yielded positive results. In addition, we integrated human practices into our project by talking to professionals and distributing questionnaires to more than 700 individuals living in Shanghai. We designed two models to make sure our experiment design was valid and to prove its industrial uses. Want to know more? Let's start the journey!</p> | ||
<a href="https://2019.igem.org/Team:ShanghaiFLS_China/Team"> Team Members </a> | <a href="https://2019.igem.org/Team:ShanghaiFLS_China/Team"> Team Members </a> |
Revision as of 05:04, 21 October 2019
Experiments
The Optimization of the Metabolic Pathways of P. pastoris in Medicine Production via Methanol Fermentation
Methanol is a major byproduct of the coal industry. Engineered Pichia pastoris GS115, a strain of methylotrophic yeast, is capable of converting methanol into medical compounds such as the insulin precursor and lovastatin. However, in such P. pastoris, the metabolism of methanol is highly specific and results in significant oxygen consumption and heat generation, which have limited its industrial applications. We aim to address this issue by improving the methanol conversion rate in P. pastoris by re-engineering its homogeneous circuits expressing the transcription factors that would up-regulate the expression of AOX1, the protein allowing it to metabolize methanol. Through our multiple rounds of experiments, we eventually acquired strains that are capable of yielding an up to 20% increase in total GFP production per gram methanol compared to the wildtype. Based on our modeling, such strains should have an (percent) decrease in heat generation per unit product and a (percent) decrease in oxygen consumption compared to the wildtype.