Team:The Tech Museum/Notebook

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Notebook

Timeline of major events:

  • May: Basic concept research and design
  • June: Software development initiated; plasmid design started and promoter-RBS’s picked
  • July: Wetlab testing of possible color protein combinations
  • August 10: Design of complete tri-color plasmids finalized
  • August 24: Assembly of tri-color plasmid pools completed (DNA2.0)
  • September 10: Tri-color plasmids optimized on museum wetlab setup
  • September 29: Software fully integrated with hardware on mobile exhibit
  • September 30 - October 3: Prototyping of mobile exhibit with museum staff and visitors
  • October 6 - October 17: Data collection on the museum floor with visitor!


Biology Details:

Design of tri-color plasmid pool

  • 9 promoter-rbs pairs of varying strength from Kosuri et al paper (2013):

Promoter - RBS Pairs Sequence
1 BBa_J23117 - BBa_J61112 TTGACAGCTAGCTCAGTCCTAGGGATTGTGCTAGCCAATCTCTAGAGAAAGAGGTGACATAC
2 BBa_J23104 - BBa_J61107 TTGACAGCTAGCTCAGTCCTAGGTATTGTGCTAGCTTACGTCTAGAGAAAGAAGAGACTCAC
3 apFAB78 - apFAB954 TTGACATTTATCCCTTGCGGCGATAGATTTAACGTATGACGGATCTTAATCTAGCTCAGGACAATTT
4 apFAB76 - apFAB927 TTGACATTTATCCCTTGCGGCGATATAATAGATATCTTAATCTAGCCCGGGAGTTTTTTCATTCCGGATCTTAATCTAGCTGGGGACTGTTT
5 apFAB70 - apFAB844 TTGACATCGCATCTTTTTGTACCTATAATGTGTGGATAGAGTATCTTAATCTAGCAGGGGACACTTT
6 BBa_J23104 - apFAB909 TTGACAGCTAGCTCAGTCCTAGGTATTGTGCTAGCTTACGATCTTAATCTAGCGAAGGATAGTTT
7 apFAB45 - apFAB901 AAAAAGAGTATTGACTTCGCATCTTTTTGTACCTATAATGTGTGGATAGCGG
8 apFAB92 - apFAB863 AAAAAATTTATTTGCTTTCAGGAAAATTTTTCTGCATAATTATTTCATGGAGCATCTTAATCTAGCGGGGGAGCGTTT
9 apFAB71 - salis-4-10 TTGACATCGCATCTTTTTGTACCTATAATAGATTCATGATGAAATCTCTTTTATCAAATATAAGCAGGAT

Selection of colored reporter proteins

  • Co-transformation testing of multiple color combinations of proteins from DNA2.0
  • Transformations on Kanamycin and IPTG





Final tri-color plasmid designs, assembled by DNA2.0:

Chromogenic plasmid pool

  • Blitzen (blue)
  • Kringle (yellow)
  • Paprika (red)

Fluorescent plasmid pool

  • CindyLouCFP (400/495)
  • KringleYFP (520/542)
  • PaprikaRFP (554/590)

Optimization of plasmid pools with visitor-accessible museum wetlab set up. Transformation condition:

  • 6cm plates
  • 400 ug/ml Amp
  • 0.3 ul unamplified plasmid pool in 100ul CaCl2
  • 20 ul competent bacteria
  • Current visitor wetlab transformation protocol: 30 sec on ice, 40 sec heat shot at 42 degrees C
  • Chromogenic pool maturation time ~ 5 days 37 degrees C
  • Fluoroescent pool maturation time ~ 3 days 37 degrees C
  • Low copy fluorescent plasmid pool gave more reliable results with most color variety


Safety:

We did not use any dangerous organisms or reagents. Transformation of bacteria was done in the musuem’s existing wetlab setup.