Team:Yale/collaborations

<!DOCTYPE html> Yale iGem 2015: Collaborations

Collaborations

Featuring University of La Verne!

Developing a Guidebook - University of La Verne iGEM

Beginning Research in Non-Model Microbes

Over the past few years, iGEM has increasingly centered around non-model microorganisms—organisms which are less well-characterized and have fewer resources for genetic manipulation than the model E. coli and S. cerevisiae. Despite a prevalence of non-model organisms in iGEM competition projects and the potential impact which these projects may have, few resources exist for teams hoping to initiate research in non-model strains.

The 2015 Yale University iGEM team has collaborated with several other teams working in non-model strains to design a set of considerations for future iGEM teams in order to reduce the barrier to entry into non-model organisms. We synthesized the experiences of other teams into a handout, which has been made available on our team wiki and will be available at out poster at the Jamboree.

2015 Non-Model Organism Handout

ProtoCat - University of Michigan

A Centralized, Validated Protocols Database

Biofilm formation on surfaces is an issue in the medical field, naval industry, and other areas. We developed an anti-fouling peptide with two modular components: a mussel adhesion protein (MAP) anchor and LL-37, an antimicrobial peptide. MAPs can selectively attach to metal and organic surfaces via L-3,5-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA), a nonstandard amino acid that was incorporated using a genetically recoded organism (GRO). Because this peptide is toxic to the GRO in which it is produced, we designed a better controlled inducible system that limits basal expression. This was achieved through a novel T7 riboregulation system that controls expression at both the transcriptional and translational levels.