Difference between revisions of "Team:WashU StLouis"
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Revision as of 23:09, 15 June 2018
TEST FOR WHEAT STEM RUST FUNGUS THROUGH A MULTI-STEP PROCESS
The purpose of this project is to genetically engineer E. coli and yeast to detect the presence of wheat stem rust, Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici (Pgt), a fungus which can infect and kill entire fields of wheat. Many different strains of this fungus are in circulation around the globe but recently, several very destructive races have emerged, including TTKSK in East Africa, TTTTF in Italy, and TKTTF in the Middle East, East Africa, and Europe. These races of Pgt have proven virulent to several wheat resistance genes that usually protect the crop from other races of stem rust. In some cases of field infection, these virulent races can cause a 100% loss of viable crops. Hover over these panels to read about our three methods of testing.
Transform E. coli with a plasmid carrying a promoter induced by ribitol, a compound unique to infectious structures formed by fungal spores, upstream of a fluorescent protein.
Express wheat resistance genes in transformed yeast to detect virulence factors released by Pgt to distinguish between virulent and non-virulent strains.
Infiltrate macrophages with an E.coli producing TDMH, an enzyme that will lyse the Mycobacteria cell wall.
