TX-TL is a cell-free, in vitro, transcription/translation system that allows for inexpensive and rapid prototyping of biological circuits. This is desirable, as the usual method of prototyping and debugging circuits requires DNA parts to be cloned into cells, which can be time-consuming and laborious. With TX-TL, once all the DNA parts have been obtained, the circuit can be tested immediately, and so several circuit iterations can be tested in the time it takes to successfully clone even one circuit iteration into cells. Caltech generously loaned us a plate reader to enable us to use this method.
We were able to successfully perform TX-TL for a series of William and Mary parts.
We offered TX-TL William and Mary’s Team’s plasmids in order to see how their results would vary with this different construct. William and Mary’s Team gave us suggestions and also offered us some plasmid and backbone which is iGEM standard plasmid.
Below is a graph of our results:
This chart shows the fluorescence in the plasmids (each labeled by their RBS part number followed by their iGEM part number) measured in Arbitrary Fluorescence Units using TX-TL.
This graph shows the fluorescence of the plasmids, over a period of 12 and a half hours, in the plate reader.
