Project Description
The purpose of this project is to introduce the Sf9 cell line (Fall armyworm ovary, Spodoptera frugiperda cells) to synthetic biology and the iGEM Competition, by developing a tool kit of several biobricks for their use in this new chassis. We will use the Sf9 cells as an alternative for the production of proteins with high complexity and post-traductional modifications, because of their flexibility, cultivation time and minor cost compared with other expression systems. We will characterize functional parts for two main areas: Transfection and Genome Editing. For the first part we will characterize baculovirus mediated transfection and, direct plasmid transfection for the generation of stable cell lines; for the second part we will use the CRISPR/Cas9 system to assay highly specific genome modifications in an effort to improve production and ease of use of this technology.