Collaborations

1.Overview

        This year, FAFU-CHINA team had many collaborations among Chinese team and exchanges parts with them. We helped different teams to design protocol, construct the parts and verify their results independently. Meanwhile, another teams helped us to build model, test the accurate data and purify the expressed protein. Parts exchange also played an important role in collaborations.

2.Collaborations with SZU-CHINA team

          On 17^th June, Junhao visited the Shenzhen University and their team (SZU-China) after Synthesis Biology Meeting. SZU-China focused on making use of Chlamydomonas reintmrdtii to produce more hydrogen. We also tried to express toxin proteins in Chlamydomonas reintmrdtii. Based on the various background, they transform plasmids into Chlamydomonas reintmrdtii (Glass-ball) while we used electroporation. Transformation in Chlamydomonas reintmrdtii is still a big problem in problem, with their help, the transformation of Cry10Aa-2A-Cyt1 was successful by glass-bead method.

          Meanwhile, SZU-China encountered a common problem that they failed to get any clone and amplified the PSB1C3 plasmid could not get any clone in the lab and due to various and unknown reasons. We reproduced their experiment in our lab. Luckily, we got the positive result and figured out that their Chloramphenicol was inactivated.

          If you are interested in the details, you can visit this link.

3.Collaborations with JNFLS-China team

          We noticed that the fluorescence value in treatment group was higher than the positive control group about JNFLS-CHINA high school team’s project. We had a talk about it by social media. To explore the potential cause, we advised them to use Flow Cytometer (FCM) to gather data. And we helped them design the protocol of experiment with details. 

          If you are interested in the details, you can visit this link: https://2016.igem.org/Team:JNFLS_China/experiments and results

4.Collaborations with SCU-CHINA team

          In this year, we co-expressed Cry and Cyt proteins by 2A-peptide expression system. Considering the effect of amino acids residues to the toxicity after cleavage, SCU-China team helped us to predict the potential effect by Swiss-Model. If you are interested in the details, you can visit this link:

5.Collaborations with BNU-CHINA team

It’s essential for us to get accurate growth condition of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii in the natural environment to keep the concentration of toxin at a lethal level. But in fact, it is almost impossible to test concentration anywhere due to the lack of equipment and skills. Therefore, building the growth model can help determine the amount of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii they should use and when they need to add more. To build an accurate growth model, BNU-China team members who have much experience in the mathematics helped us to achieve it. If you are interested in the details, you can visit this link:

6.Collaborations with ZJU-China team

           During the G20 Summit held in Hangzhou, we shared our labs with them in summer. And ZJU-China team helped us to finish the incomplete toxicity models.         

7.Collaborations with NEU-China team

          When the members of NEU-China team finished our survey about mosquitoes, they came to take an interest about our project. After a brief talk, they thought that they can helped us to test the level of gene expression of Hsp70A-Rbc S2 Promoter. Meanwhile, we helped them to test the expression of tCas9-CIBN and got the accurate data about the induced concentration of arabinose. If you are interested in the details, you can visit this link:

8.Collaborations with ShanghaiTechChina_B team

          We helped ShanghaiTechChina_B team to construct parts when they were in a narrow schedule. Meanwhile, they helped us to purify the toxin proteins by his tag. If you are interested in the details, you can visit this link:

9. Collaborations with SDSZ_China team

          SDSZ_China team helped us to get some important response to our handbook from Côte d’Ivoire students. Their responses were very important for us because they offered the real conditions in West Africa.

10. Parts exchange

          We received various parts from different teams. We got parts about 2014 Imperial-London’s project from NAU-China to verify our initial ideas. We got parts about 2015 BIT-China’s project from BIT-China team to test our control circuit.

          Meanwhile, we sent our reserved parts to SYSU-CHINA team and ShanghaiTechChina_B team to help them to finish project.

2.Part exchanges

          Parts are the registry standard plasmids. They are essential for each team to verify their idea during the brainstorm process.

          In the April, we wanted to make use of bacterial cellulose to keep moisture in the soil. This idea was based on the successful expression of bacterial cellulose in E. Coli by 2013 Imperil-London team. Supported by Nanjing Agriculture University team (NAU-China), we received all registered parts about this project and test them. We still appreciate their help although we gave up this idea at last due to the overlong experimental period.

          Meanwhile, we shared our reserved our parts to anther teams. We sent parts to Shanghai Tech University team (STU) and Sun Yat-sen University team (SYSU-China) to help them to achieve their project.

In this year, we exchanged various parts with another teams to help them and us to achieve parts. Meanwhile, we received a lot of negative responses to parts which offered by iGEM. We summarize these responses as following:

          During the parts exchange, we received various negative responses to parts which offered by iGEM. And we summarized these negative responses.

          1.There is no exist plasmid in some positions of parts plate.

          2.The length of gene is not right after restriction enzyme digestion.

          3.The failure of gene expression.

          4.The sequencing result of part is not right.

          5.The confusion of parts.

          We also advice that iGEM can improve the plasmid (pBS1C3).  Because when we want to test the expression of protein and more quantitative information about the parts, we need to ligate reporter or protein tag, such has His tag additionally.  There is no doubt that it increases the time length to test it. Therefore, we advised that iGEM can offer detective or testing standard plasmid in the next year.  Adding GFP reporter or His Tag both are good for mostly teams. For example, the standard reporter or tag can help us to save time and money to get antigen in the western blot.

3. Modelling

          In this year, we co-expressed Cry and Cyt proteins by 2A-peptide expression system. Considering the effect of residues to the toxicity after cleavage which occurs at 2A peptide, SCU-China team helped us to predict the potential effect by Swiss-Model.