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.