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Team:Berkeley/Choanoflagellates
From 2010.igem.org
Project Overview Choanoflagellates Parts Clotho Human Practices Group Members
For our project, we focused on delivering protein to a family of single-celled organisms called choanoflagellates. Choanoflagellates were chosen to demonstrate proof-of-concept because they are extremely easy to culture, proliferate quickly and are applicable to evolutionary research. In a lab culture, choanoflagellates eat dead bacteria, live in sea water, survive at room temperature and do not need to be aerated. In addition, these species are interesting to researchers because they are the closest living relative to our microbial ancestor that became the first multicellular animal. Developmental biologists who study these single-celled eukaryotes are hindered by the inability to genetically manipulate them.
SEM pictures
Choanoflagellates are so named because of their actin filaments
