Our project is currently the first step in a much larger endeavor.

We are attempting to take the nif cluster from a cyanobacteria and get it to function in E. coli while simultaneously attempting to create a transcriptional regulation system that turns off in the light and turns on in the dark. In doing such, we hope to create a system for nitrogen fixation that operates exclusively in the absence of light in preparation for transformation into a photosynthetic system. After we come to a greater understanding of how the system works and perfect it, we can move on to working in a more complex organism, such as a cyanobacteria like Synecosystis 6803. The end goal is to create plants that can fix their own nitrogen by moving from the cyanobacteria into the chloroplast of the plant. Endosymbiotic theory postulates that cyanobacteria are the ancestors to chloroplasts, so this is the natural progression.

For more information on our attempt to transform E. coli with the nif cluster, please visit the Nitrogenase page.

For more information on our attempt to create a light-sensitive transcription system, please visit the Light Regulation page.

Be sure to check out our Collaboration , Parts , and Modeling pages, as well!

You can use these subtopics to further explain your project

1. Overall project summary
2. Project Details
3. Materials and Methods
4. The Experiments
5. Results
6. Data analysis
7. Conclusions

It's important for teams to describe all the creativity that goes into an iGEM project, along with all the great ideas your team will come up with over the course of your work.

It's also important to clearly describe your achievements so that judges will know what you tried to do and where you succeeded. Please write your project page such that what you achieved is easy to distinguish from what you attempted.

The pictures used above were taken from the following sources:

http://protist.i.hosei.ac.jp/PDB/images/Prokaryotes/Chroococcaceae/Synechocystis/sp_02.jpg

http://www.pitch.com/imager/explosive-diarrhea-anyone/b/original/2575052/269f/EcoliEM4.jpg

http://www.motherearthnews.com/~/media/Images/MEN/Editorial/Articles/Magazine%20Articles/1971/05-01/How%20to%20Dry%20Sweet%20Corn/corn.jpg