Team:Utah State

The aim of the Utah State University iGEM project is to develop flexible and adaptable systems for manufacturing cellular products using the standardized BioBrick system in a wide range of species. First, we altered the standard BioBrick vector pSB1A3 to allow for the insertion of genomic integration sequences from Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 and enable the insertion of BioBrick constructs directly into the host genome. This integration vector is easily adapted to use in other species through the exchange of the species-specific integration sequences and the ability to alter the selection marker, if necessary. This vector will facilitate exploitation of advantageous characteristics of a wide range of organisms, including photosynthetic carbon assimilation. The BioBrick toolbox was expanded to allow the utilization of Synechocystis as a host species, with the identification and characterization of ribosome binding sites, constitutive promoters, and promoters responsive to light, dark, nitrogen stress, heat stress, and circadian rhythms. Secretion systems for Synechocystis were adapted to the BioBrick standard, and the cross-species function of E. coli secretion tags was investigated. Project success will facilitate the expansion of BioBrick-coded products into multiple organisms and the characterization of further useful genetic elements in those species.