Team:Osaka/Project animation

Hello, everyone!
We are iGEM from Osaka University, Japan!
Today, I want to introduce our project, “Continuous Greening Cycle.”
Here we go!

There is desert with strong sunlight.
At first, we plant trees in the desert.
On the ground, we also put our gene designed microbe and water-absorbing biopolymer.

As usual, tree makes flower, and after that seeds will fallen from tree.
If everything go well, then trees will grow successfully.
However, if severe dry season comes, some threes unfortunately die and fall down.
Now, if we did just planted woods in desert, then this is the end of the project.
Nevertheless, we have our microbe!

You might think this is weird, but in dry areas it rains sometime.
When there is enough water around our microbe, it starts to produce enzymes.
Our enzyme has special ability to break the chemical bond in cellulose or wood fiber.
Enzymes corporate each other to create sugar or otherwise called glucose.
Then our microbe will eat glucose and make water-absorbing biopolymer.

Since the microorganism will create more water absorbing biopolymer, the area with accumulated biopolymer will increase.

Even though another dry reason came and rain water vaporized, the area with the biopolymer still holds enough amount of water in ground. Thus seeds sprout.

Shoots of plants absorb carbon dioxide and grow bigger and bigger.
If this continuous more and more, all ground will be filled with enough water, and more trees grow in the area.
By recovering vegetation in dry area, animals and human can live in there.

The important point on our project is the cycle! By getting energy from plant fibers, microbes create substance that can help plant to grow.
The microbe has ability to go through this by own and no human help is needed.
Moreover, the cycle is self expanding because it creates more water absorbing biopolymer as it decomposes wood fiber.
The low cost and sustainable cycle helps developing countries to increase living space.
In addition, fixation of carbon dioxides in plants contributes stopping global warming and developing countries can sell the emission by trading.

THANK YOU!!