Team:uOttawa/project

From 2014.igem.org

(Difference between revisions)
Line 84: Line 84:
                 </figure>
                 </figure>
                 <p>Why build such a system? Understanding how this genetic network works and being able to model its behaviour may shed light on how exactly stem cells differentiate. More importantly, it will allow us to engineer cells that implement this synthetic decision-making pathway, and use it in an application such as logic gates.</p>
                 <p>Why build such a system? Understanding how this genetic network works and being able to model its behaviour may shed light on how exactly stem cells differentiate. More importantly, it will allow us to engineer cells that implement this synthetic decision-making pathway, and use it in an application such as logic gates.</p>
-
                 <p>Alternatively, we may use this system as a unique cellular detector. If A and B are reporters driven by promoters that are sensitive to small molecules such as phosphorous and nitrogen, these cells can monitor the balance between those two. The balance between those two is an important indicator of human pollution, which is indicated by high levels of phosphorous.  If one spikes higher than the other, the cell will enter either the A or B state, which would be indicated by a reporter. If both spike, it will remain in the AB and indicate an equilibrium.</p>
+
                 <p>Alternatively, we may use this system as a unique cellular detector. If A and B are reporters driven by promoters that are sensitive to small molecules such as phosphorous and nitrogen, these cells can monitor the balance between those two. The balance between those two is an important indicator of human pollution, which is indicated by high levels of phosphorous.  If one spikes higher than the other, the cell will enter either the A or B state, which would be indicated by their respective reporters. If both spike, it will remain in the AB and indicate an equilibrium.</p>
             </div>
             </div>
             <div class="pane" id="pane-tristable" hidden>
             <div class="pane" id="pane-tristable" hidden>

Revision as of 21:52, 17 October 2014

The Project

Engineering Fate: Cellular decision making and the Tri-Stable switch

Throughout our lives, individual cells make vital decisions that directly affect us. From deciding what to become, to when to die.

We decided to examine how cells make those decisions.

It was hypothesized that a unique tri-stable switch controlled stem cell differentiation, where the three states are an arbitrary state A, B and a unique state where both states coexists stably (AB).

Design adapted from Sui Huang, 2009.

For instance, if A was making blue marbles and B red marbles, the three states would look like this:

Now instead of marbles, lets image A and B as cell types like liver cells and heart cells, and the AB state the undifferentiated state!

This is a primary example of cellular decision making. The 2014 uOttwa iGEM team chose to build this decision making pathway. To do so we created a novel form of gene regulation using activators as repressors.

Why build such a system? Understanding how this genetic network works and being able to model its behaviour may shed light on how exactly stem cells differentiate. More importantly, it will allow us to engineer cells that implement this synthetic decision-making pathway, and use it in an application such as logic gates.

Alternatively, we may use this system as a unique cellular detector. If A and B are reporters driven by promoters that are sensitive to small molecules such as phosphorous and nitrogen, these cells can monitor the balance between those two. The balance between those two is an important indicator of human pollution, which is indicated by high levels of phosphorous. If one spikes higher than the other, the cell will enter either the A or B state, which would be indicated by their respective reporters. If both spike, it will remain in the AB and indicate an equilibrium.