Team:SCAU-China
Our team has been working on the iGEM-2016 project for two years. In this project, we used rice (Oryza sativa L.) as chassis organism to produce a genetically modified organism (GMO) named aSTARice, which enables biosynthesis of astaxanthin in the rice endosperm. To achieve this goal, four genes derived from maize, algae, and bacteria, respectively, were expressed under the control of endosperm-specific promoters. We have successed in detection of astaxanthin in the endosperm of resultant aSTARice.
In the human practice, we have successfully held several public activities such as open laboratory day, a Bauhinia Scientific and Cultural Festival in our university, which attracted hundreds and thousands of people to visit a laboratory of molecular biology, to understand how is a GMO generated in the lab. We gave several biology courses for middle and primary school students. Therefore, we have promoted the knowledge of synthetic biology and the impact of iGEM in our project.
Achievements
1. We have used rice as a bioreactor to produce astathanxin in rice endosperm.
2. The experiences and BioBricks we developed are helpful for plant iGEMers in future.
3. The heterogenous genes in our parts have been codon-optimized for plants.
4. We have achieved selection marker-free transgenic plants using Cre/loxp site-specific recombination strategy.
5. Our experimental design has been worked out as aSTARice.
1. Risk assessment and marker free system are the efforts we made to deal with the safety issue.
2. We successfully improve the performance of the previously existing BioBrick BBa_K118003
3. Our BioBrick devices work well under the lab condition.
4. Our BioBrick devices work well under the greenhouse condition.
1. BBa_K1959002 works well and has been documented in the Registry entry.
2. We help the students of Guangdong Experimental High School to set up the team named GDSYZX-United and assist them to finish the iGEM project.
3. We educate the public, especially the students and try to enhance the general understanding of GMO in the human practices.
1. Team SCAU-China has registered with great enthusiasm.
2. The Wiki and judging form has been full of our works.
3. Our project and poster will follow us to the Giant Jamboree.
4. We have completed and submitted 3 BioBricks: BBa_K1959000, BBa_K1959001, BBa_K1959003.
