Team:Newcastle

Our Project

Our project focuses on the creation and applications of L-forms: bacteria that grow without a cell wall. We propose that L-forms can be used 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 interfering. Fusion will cause genetic recombination between cells allowing directed evolution. We will put L-forms in differently shaped chambers and observe if the L-forms take up the shapes.

L-forms can 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 their host plant.

As outreach we reflected upon the implications of our project with relevant stock holders. Furthermore we created a biogame to interest the general public in synthetic biology and developed a workshop for those new to modelling. Finally, we evaluated the relationship between synthetic biology and architecture.

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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.

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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