Our team is dedicated to establishing a high-yielding astaxanthin expression system in longan, aiming to expand natural sources for astaxanthin acquisition. This endeavor addresses the current challenges of limited natural sources, low production yields, and difficult extraction processes for astaxanthin, offering a unique solution through longan to the beauty industry in the form of natural astaxanthin products. Our contributions in this regard include the following:

Public Awareness and Community Outreach: We have embarked on a nationwide campaign of educational outreach, visiting schools, engaging with communities, and reaching out to rural villages. Our goal is to raise public awareness and interest in synthetic biology, astaxanthin, and longan, enhancing the general public's biological literacy and inspiring children's enthusiasm for learning.

Data Support and Decision-Making Reference: We utilize bibliometric analysis and questionnaire surveys to provide comprehensive data support for our project. These insights inform our strategic decisions and direct our overall approach, serving as a valuable reference for other iGEM participants.

Construction of High-Astaxanthin Expression System in Longan: We introduced the CrBKT and HpBHY genes, which are highly related to astaxanthin synthesis in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and Haematococcus pluvialis, into the callus tissue of longan to construct a high astaxanthin expression system in longan. This proves the overall feasibility of the project, opening up a new method for natural acquisition in the astaxanthin industry and bringing enlightening significance.

Core Concept of Acquiring Biological Products from Adverse Environments through Reverse Thinking: By adopting a reverse mindset that transcends traditional models, we showcase an innovative prospect for biological applications. This approach serves as a catalyst for creative thinking and provides valuable insights for future iGEM participants.

Our team has actively engaged in various aspects of human practice, including community visits, interviews and exchanges, science outreach in primary and secondary schools, and visits to impoverished rural villages. We are making every effort to raise awareness of the fundamentals of astaxanthin among a broader audience and promote the utilization of longan as a novel source for astaxanthin acquisition.

Preliminary Research and Field Surveys: We sought to understand the public's perceptions regarding synthetic biology and the application of astaxanthin in cosmetics. Based on our findings, we designed a questionnaire aimed at comprehensively assessing and integrating public awareness. This survey enables our subsequent experiments to align with public expectations and effectively disseminate knowledge across different populations. Through our efforts, we have gained valuable insights into the public's attitudes towards synthetic biology.

Science Education Outreach: Our team has disseminated knowledge about synthetic biology and astaxanthin extraction to primary and secondary school students through various interactive demonstrations, illustrated children's books, and engaging activities. We have introduced the natural sources of astaxanthin and its applications in skincare in a lively and engaging manner, targeting students of different age groups. This effort has sparked an interest in science among students, broadened their horizons, and planted the seeds of synthetic biology in their minds.

Potential for Rural Revitalization: Our team has ventured into rural areas to promote the technology of extracting astaxanthin from longan leaves. Through field practices, educational seminars, and survey visits, we have helped farmers gain a better understanding of the potential economic value of astaxanthin in longan. This effort has ensured that our project has a strong foundation among rural communities, enabling even farmers with limited educational backgrounds to appreciate the fascination of synthetic biology.

In the modeling component, we have primarily constructed two key models: a bibliometric analysis model and a questionnaire analysis model. These models serve as the overall data support for our project and offer valuable insights and inspiration for future iGEM participants.

Bibliometric Analysis Model: This model utilizes statistical and clustering principles to analyze the publication volume of research papers and related patents from 2015 to April 2024. It aims to identify research hotspots and potential growth areas of astaxanthin in the skincare industry. The insights gained from this model inform the experimental design of our team and provide valuable context for the industry. Furthermore, it serves as a guideline for future teams in their experimental design and analysis.

Questionnaire Analysis Model: This model employs evaluation analysis and statistical methods to analyze data collected from public questionnaire responses. It focuses on identifying the general public's perceptions and understanding of astaxanthin-related issues. The results of this model continuously guide our team's activities, enabling us to more accurately address the concerns of the public. Given that public perceptions on such topics often evolve slowly, this model will assist future researchers in more purposefully tackling these issues

In the experimental segment, our team is focused on constructing a high-astaxanthin expression system in longan, employing synthetic biology approaches to tackle the present scarcity of natural astaxanthin sources. Our innovative choice of the woody plant, longan (Dimocarpus longan Lour.), as the experimental material, is significant for the following reasons:

Mature Research System for Longan Biology: The genome sequence of this species was sequenced in 2017, marking the first time the complete genome of longan was publicly released internationally and establishing it as the first complete genome database for the Sapindaceae family. Years of biological research have resulted in a well-established research framework for this species.

Advantages in Secondary Metabolite Research: Plants are often rich in carotenoids, flavonoids, and other secondary metabolites, with astaxanthin belonging to the carotenoid family. Studying carotenoid biosynthetic pathways in plants is relatively straightforward, as the key enzymes and metabolic pathways have been elucidated in detail in many other plant species.

Abundant and Easily Accessible Samples: Different parts of the longan fruit, including the pericarp and seeds, can serve as potential sources for astaxanthin research. Compared to marine organisms like shrimp and microalgae, plant tissue samples are more readily available and convenient to process, allowing for easier extraction, separation, and quantitative analysis under laboratory conditions.

Reduced Ethical Concerns: In contrast to research involving marine animals (e.g., shrimp, crabs), the study of longan as a plant entails fewer ethical issues, making the research process more direct and straightforward.

Cultural and Market Advantages: While astaxanthin products have traditionally targeted Western markets with limited consumer bases, longan is a common fruit in Asian countries. Extracting astaxanthin from longan can more seamlessly integrate into the beauty and food sectors in Asian markets, catering to Asian consumers' needs while also boosting the agricultural economy related to longan.

Experimental Feasibility and Accessibility: Compared to the complexity of marine organism research, plant system studies offer more controllable experimental conditions and require more commonly available equipment and laboratory facilities, facilitating the advancement of astaxanthin synthesis research.

Hence, the advantages of studying astaxanthin production in longan lie in the maturity of the plant system, the relative simplicity of metabolic pathways, the ease of accessibility to experimental materials, the convenience of the research process, and the comparatively lower ethical and environmental risks. These factors significantly facilitate our team's in-depth research into astaxanthin synthesis in longan, offering a unique solution to the scarcity of natural sources for astaxanthin. By leveraging these strengths, we aim to address the challenges posed by limited natural synthesis channels for astaxanthin.

In conventional astaxanthin extraction processes, the primary sources of astaxanthin have been aquatic environments, particularly synthesized by marine organisms (such as shrimp and crabs) and microalgae (like Haematococcus pluvialis), where its production and accumulation are intimately tied to their specialized habitats.

However, our concept of cross-habitat acquisition transcends these natural limitations. We are attempting to synthesize natural products, traditionally produced by aquatic organisms or algae, in terrestrial plants such as longan. By transplanting "aquatic organism-exclusive" biological natural products into non-aquatic settings, we can explore the applicability of synthetic biology across diverse habitats. Additionally, the profound metabolic disparities between plant systems and aquatic organisms underscore the significance of this exploration in unraveling novel metabolic regulatory mechanisms or fostering unique synthetic platforms tailored for terrestrial environments, serving as a reference for the reverse-habitat production of other natural products.

Should this strategy prove successful, it would pave a new avenue for researchers, enabling the reconstruction of cross-habitat metabolic networks that integrate the strengths of both terrestrial plants and marine organisms. This could lead to more versatile biological production systems, not exclusively for astaxanthin but also for other natural products synthesized in varying environments through similar approaches.