Team:SCU China

Project Description

Synthetic multicellular system has always been one of the most interesting parts of syn-bio.In the fundamental researches, especially the imitations of the whole developing procedure from a single cell to a self-organized multicellular system, many pervious iGEM teams have made plenty of explorations.

However, there haven’t been comprehensive study into the imitations of sex differentiation, gametogenesis, and sexual reproduction.

• In our project,we intend to construct two groups of differentiated E.coli,one imitates the male multicellular organism ,the other for the female(called G⁺ cells and G^- cells respectively).

• When cultured separately, the male/female multicellular system gets bigger and matures, and cells will differentiate into gametes,which cannot divide any more but are capable of gene transfer.

• After that, you mix this two liquid cultures,the male gametes will recognize the female cells and begin to transfer modified F plasmids into female gametes through sex pili. The conjugation makes female gametes return to the state of un-differentiation(called G cells),which means they can divide again but are not sexually determined.

• Then,after several cell divisions,one G cell will differentiate into a G⁺ or G^-,which, like zygote , can grow into next generation of the multicellular system maybe containing genes from both male and female gametes.