Team:NAWI Graz/Collaborations

iGEM-Team BOKU Vienna

For the Interlab Study we got 2x100µl competent cells NEB® 5-alpha Competent E. coli (High Efficiency). Therefore we picked them up from their team (Vienna) and transported them in a dry ice box to graz to our lab.

iGEM-Team Marburg

We attended at their own interLab study. For this we had to do the GFP-experiment, like the one we did for the Igem interlab study. But this time we did it with the vibrio natriegens strain. Team Marburg sent us a toolkit and a description. Unfortunately, we got no valid results because we made some mistakes with the cells and had no backup. After that they sent us transformed cells (on agar plates) for a second round but the plates were not valuable because of too much moist inside the plates.

iGEM-Team Tec Monterrey

We participated in their #scienceeverywhere challenge where we took a photo in the traditional Austrian outfit called “Tracht”. For this challenge, we had to take a photo with a sign, which said how far away our hometown is from the giant jamboree. In addition, they invited all the attendants to their presentation at the giant jamboree.

iGEM-Team HAFS

The Hankuk Academy of foreign Studies had an inserat to challenge our cooking skills. They invited all Teams to send them a traditional recipe of their hometown. Therefore, we sent them our “Styrian pumpkin cream soup” recipe. It´s a very popular meal in Austria and it tastes amazing.

Styrian Pumpkin-Cream-Soup

    Main Ingredients:
  • 1/2 kg pumpkin (Hokkaido)
  • 3 carrots
  • 2 potatoes
  • 1 onion
  • 1-2 garlic gloves
  • oil or butter
  • water or vegetable fond(~700ml)
  • salt and pepper
  • nutmeg
  • ginger


    Optional:
  • 150g sour cream or creme fresh
  • bread crotons
  • pumpkin seed oil
  • roasted pumpkin seeds


Preparation:
Peel the pumpkin, pull out the seeds and chop it into cubes. Peel the carrots and the potatoes and chop it as well. Cut the onion and the garlic and sauté in oil or butter. Add the diced pumpkin, carrots and potatoes and roast it for a few minutes. Cover it with water; season it with salt, pepper, nutmeg and a little ginger and simmer. If the vegetables are soft-boiled, puree the soup. If you wish, add some sour crème or crème fresh and season to taste.
Our traditionally soup is served with bread croutons, pumpkin seed oil as well as roasted pumpkin seeds.

iGEM-Team FAU_Erlangen

For the Erlangen - Team we translated a text into Austrian dialect. They used this text as subtitle for their project video on youtube. Therefore, they sent us a text in English and we translated the text into Austrian-German. In addition, they implanted an Easter egg of our team into this video. (Perhaps you will find it)

Austrian Slang Translation

Original Text: Life itself depends on a huge variety of enzymatically catalyzed reactions. For example, in your liver, multiple enzymes break down the polysaccharide glycogen into its better processable subunit glucose-6-phosphate, which acts as an essential energy source in the body.
In general enzyme cascades can be imagined as various process steps in a company. Think of every enzyme as an employee in an office. When an order is placed, a chain of process steps is triggered, leading to the eventual fulfillment of the order. The first employee fulfills his task and then passes the order on to the next employee in the process chain, who passes it on to the next and the next… and the next…
Unfortunately, the office layout is not optimized and we have long pathways between the different office rooms. This leads to significant delays.

Austrian Text: sLeben is eigentlich imma obhängig vo enzymatisch katalysierten Reaktionen. Wia zum Beispü, in da Leba: vüle Enzyme brechen den Mehrfochzucka Glycogen in klanare Zucker dei bessa verorbeitet werden kinnan- deis Glucose-6-Phosphat, a wichtige Energiequölln in unsam Körpa
Man kau so a Enzymkaskade seng wia a Firma. Stöh da einfoch die Enzyme als Oabeita vor. Wenn wos benötigt wird daun wird a Kettn vo Prozessen aktiviert. Da erste Oabeita mocht sei Oabeit und gibt daun des Produkt weida zum nächstn. Und so geht’s vo an Oabeita zum nächstn. Leida is die Firma ned wirkli optimiert und so homa zwischen den oabeitan launge wege. Des führt zu Verzögerungen.

Original Text: To make the process more time efficient, it would be useful to improve the layout of the office spaces. The same principle can also be implemented in enzymatic cascades by bringing the enzymes into closer proximity using so-called surface layer proteins. [Efficiency!!!] Surface layers, or in short S-layer, are prokaryotic protein membranes, which assemble into two-dimensional lattices. Depending on the organism, the S-Layer proteins have different symmetries, like oblique, squared or hexagonal, resulting in specific structural patterns of the assembled lattices. These characteristic properties allow the fixation of enzymes to the surface in a regular fashion. Regarding the office space metaphor, the S-Layer proteins determine the most efficient layout of the office spaces, that allow the employees — the bound enzymes — to work more efficiently.

Austrian Text: Damit ma die Prozesszeit verbessat, kuntat ma des Layout vo so an Oabeitsplotz verbessern. Des Prinzip kau ma a bei Enzymkaskaden eibringen, indem ma sogenaunte surface layer proteins verwendet. (Effektivität!!!) Surface Layers, oda kurz S-layer, san prokariotische Proteinmembranen, weche in 2D Gitta zaumkeman. Obhängig vom Organismus, hod des S-Layer Protein verschiedene Symmetrien wia zum Beispü: hexagonal oda würfelförmig, dadurch kemman spezifische Strukturn für die zusaumengfügtn gitta zustaunde. De Eigenschaftn kau uns erlauben, dass ma Enzyme aun da Oberflächn fixiert. Waun ma nuamoi zruckgeht zu der Oabeitsplotz Metapher, gebn uns die S-Layer Proteine de höchste Effektivität zum nutzn vo dem Arbeitsplatz- des erlaubt die Oabeiter (in dem Foi Enzyme) das besser oabeitn.

Original Text: Moreover, novel lattice structures could be created by the combination of S-Layers with various symmetries. There can be two possible outcomes: On the first hand, the different protein species might organize in distinct clusters. On the other hand, they might arrange in novel, homogenous lattice structures, which could prove useful as alternative, potentially even better (!), office layouts.

Austrian Text: Weiters kauma sulche neign Gitter mochn indem ma die S-layers mit verschiedenen Symmetrien kombiniert. Es kinan zwa Sochan passieren: Aus ersters amoi, die zwa Protein Spezies dann sie reorganisieren. Oda de formen sie zu neichn homogenen Gitta strukturn, dei besser als Oabeitsplatzlayout fungiern kau.

Original Text: These layouts are not limited to the second dimension but could be expanded to the third dimension using Streptavidin-S-layer fusion proteins. Multiple monolayers may be vertically stacked on top of each other through biotin-linkers, creating regular nanotube-like structures of definable length. Small molecules could be embedded into these nanotube-like structures, creating surfaces with highly variable functionality.

Austrian Text: Sulche Layouts san ned limitiert in da 2D Struktur, se kinan in die 3D expandiert werdn mit dem Streptavidin-S-Layer fusion Protein. Mehrere anzelne Monolayers kuntn sie vertikal zaumsteckn mittels biotin linkers. Somit kuntatma a reguläre nanotube like struktur vo ana gewissn läng erstön. Klane Moleküle kuntatma in die nanotube like Strukturn einbringa und somit griagt ma a Oberfläche mit hohen variablen Funktionen.

Original Text: As you see, surface layers offer tremendous potential for functional biomembranes. This is our project! BAM! Tiny structures, huge potential [iGEM 2018]

Austrian Text: Wia ma siagt san soiche Surface Layers von entscheidena Bedeitung und hobn Potential füa die Funktion von Membranen. Des is unsa Projekt! BAM,A Wouhnsinn! Klane Strukturn, großes Potential.

iGEM-Team Yale

We wrote an advertisement for the Acinetobacter baylyi ADP1 strain. The team of the university of yale connected to us and we had a skype video conference in which we talked about our projects and our teams. After the video conference they sent us the Acinetobacter baylyi ADP1 agar stab agars for our project. Unfortunately, the samples didn´t arrive at the expected time (before Wikifreeze) and so we were not able to use the samples, because of the shipping process. The Yale iGEM team informed us that shipping living cells can lead to a delivery delay.
For future teams, team Yale and our team strongly recommend, not to underestimate the importance of time management. We would like to thank team Yale for the collaboration!

European Meetup Munich

From July 20-22 we attended the European Meetup in Munich where we had our first contact with teams from other countries. We learned really much about other projects and also had interesting talks about synthetic biology. We would like to thank the Munich team for the great organization and hosting and also all the other teams which attended at the meetup.