Team:Newcastle

Our Project

Our project focuses on the creation and applications of L-forms: bacteria that grow without a cell wall. We propose L-forms as a novel chassis for synthetic biology. Our principle BioBrick switches Bacillus subtilis cells between rod-shape and L-form.

We will use microfluidics to attempt genome shuffling and shape-shifting. It is easier to fuse bacteria without cell walls. Fusion will cause genetic recombination, allowing directed evolution. We will put L-forms in moulds to observe if they adopt different shapes.

L-forms exist symbiotically in plants, which we will visualise by growing GFP labelled L-forms inside seedlings. L-forms could be engineered to supply nutrients to their host. L-forms are osmotically sensitive, giving biosecurity that they lyse if they escape from the plant.

As outreach we reflected upon our project's implications with stakeholders, created a BioGame for the public and developed a workshop for those new to modelling. Finally, we evaluated the relationship between synthetic biology and architecture.

Box 2

Fusce neque urna, ornare ut mattis eget, ullamcorper eu risus. Nam euismod odio faucibus purus ultricies ut pretium turpis mollis. Nam vitae risus vitae nunc consequat pellentesque. Mauris risus urna, volutpat eget lobortis ac, auctor vitae justo. Cras venenatis auctor aliquam. Nam ornare accumsan aliquet. Ut nunc turpis, ullamcorper ut euismod a, molestie sed eros. Maecenas eget sapien nulla, et ullamcorper mauris. Aenean bibendum erat a nisi ultricies nec sodales diam vulputate.

Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Ut sed purus sem, quis auctor augue. Etiam molestie dapibus libero lacinia hendrerit. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Fusce elementum malesuada facilisis. Quisque sodales viverra massa in sollicitudin. Mauris eget massa non felis dictum porta.

Fusce neque urna, ornare ut mattis eget, ullamcorper eu risus. Nam euismod odio faucibus purus ultricies ut pretium turpis mollis. Nam vitae risus vitae nunc consequat pellentesque. Mauris risus urna, volutpat eget lobortis ac, auctor vitae justo. Cras venenatis auctor aliquam. Nam ornare accumsan aliquet. Ut nunc turpis, ullamcorper ut euismod a, molestie sed eros. Maecenas eget sapien nulla, et ullamcorper mauris. Aenean bibendum erat a nisi ultricies nec sodales diam vulputate.

Training Week

The team spent the first week of iGEM learning different basic lab techniques and modelling principles. Everything was documented and written up as a "Starter's Guide" to Synthetic Biology which can be found by clicking this box.

L-forms in Plants

L-forms and plants can exist in a symbiotic relationship as plants provide an osmotically suitable environment. In return, L-forms can confer benefits to their host including reducing the rate of fungal infection. We plan to wash seedlings in a solution of GFP labelled L-forms, allowing the seedlings to take up the bacteria. We will then view our L-forms inside the plant using confocal microscopy.

In the future, L-forms could be engineered to supply nutrients to plants, potentially increasing crop yield in low fertility soil. L-forms are osmotically sensitive, giving the ethical advantage that they lyse if they escape from their host plant into the environment. Please click this box for more information.

L-form

An L-form is a bacterium that has no cell wall. Bacterial morphology is determined by the cell wall, and so their morphology differs from the strain of bacteria from which they are derived, giving rise to a variety of cell sizes. The cell wall is important for cell division. Binary fission is a highly conserved mechanism required for proliferation of almost all cells. Due to the absence of the cell wall, L-forms are easily transformed, so we propose to use inducible L-forms of Bacillus subtilis as a novel chassis.

We are working on four themes which include: Shuffling, Recombination & Endosymbiosis; Introducing and detecting L-forms in Plants; Shape-shifting; Investigating two-component systems in L-forms. Details of the individual themes can be found under "Projects" on the main menu