During the preparation for our iGEM competition, we not only continuously improved and enhanced our project by designing an engineered bacteria project for the auxiliary treatment of IBD but also hoped to provide some assistance to future iGEM teams and participants through our efforts. This section introduces the contributions we have made for future teams and members, which involve the design of new synthetic biology composite part, new physiological models, training in experimental skills, and inclusivity.
One of our standout contributions to synthetic biology tools is the construction of a Muscone-gated molecular switch in Saccharomyces cerevisiae BBa_K5187006. The muscone receptor is a type of GPCR derived from mice. We designed the corresponding Gα protein by modifying the amino acid sequence so that it can trigger the mating pathway in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, thereby further inducing the expression of downstream genes.
It is worth noting that this molecular switch in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is an original contribution from our team. Although in our experiment it was applied to secrete lactic acid for the treatment of IBD, this downstream element can be replaced with any other gene to achieve different biological functions. We believe that this minute, efficient, and cost-effective molecular switch will have broad application scenarios in related industries.
Simultaneously, we have conducted molecular dynamics simulations to predict the binding of muscone molecules to their receptors, providing a more detailed and quantitative explanation of the biological process of the muscone-gated molecular switch. This aims to assist future research teams in obtaining more molecular dynamics information about this molecular switch and developing more functions of the switch. For more information, please refer to Model: Binding.
For more information about the Muscone-gated molecular switch in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, please refer to Parts.
Out of consideration for biosafety, our project did not conduct any animal experiments. To verify the effectiveness of the project, we designed a full-process human physiological model from inhalation of gases to therapeutic secretion, providing a detailed explanation of our project's treatment process through modeling.
Considering the current scarcity of gas-based treatment methods, there is very little research on models of gas flow and changes within the human body. Our project offers a model of the flow and changes of muscone gas molecules within the human body for studying the effectiveness of our project. This model can provide a reference for future iGEM teams and members who wish to study gas flow and changes within the human body, especially for those targeting engineered bacteria colonization in the intestinal segment.
We have established models for the entire process from the entry of signaling molecules into the human body to the activation of engineered bacteria for drug secretion. This not only perfects the detailed description of our project's treatment process but also provides design ideas and a framework for future iGEM teams and members interested in researching engineered bacteria colonization projects in the intestine.
For more information about our physiological model, please refer to Model.
In order to popularize knowledge about molecular biology experiments used in synthetic biology, we have registered accounts on various video media platforms such as Tiktok, Bilibili, and YouTube. Based on the experimental content of our project, we have produced and released a series of instructional videos on molecular biology experimental skills in both Chinese and English versions, helping more people learn related experimental techniques.
For more information about the instructional videos, please refer to Education: Public.
Our project uses Saccharomyces cerevisiae as the chassis organism. During the design and experimental process of our project, we have optimized and improved the original experimental operation procedures for the transformation, culture, and induction of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This not only helped us achieve better results in the project experiments but can also save experimental time and costs for future iGEM teams and members who wish to use brewing yeast as the chassis organism.
For more information about the new protocol, please refer to Protocol.
To further popularize information about inflammatory bowel disease and knowledge in the field of synthetic biology to the public, we designed a science popularization brochure around our own project. The brochure contains popular science knowledge about inflammatory bowel disease, as well as information about synthetic biology and our project. By consulting with Mrs. Bao Guohong from the China Braille Press, we understood and summarized the standards for accessible reading materials for visually impaired individuals and designed a brochure that is friendly to the visually impaired. At the same time, to help individuals who are completely blind access the information in our brochure, we designed a voice-over version of the brochure and created a QR code printed in the manual. Future iGEM teams can refer to our design to create more materials that assist visually impaired individuals.
For more information about the design of a manual for visually impaired individuals, please refer to Inclusivity.