Team:Cardiff Wales/Plant

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Cardiff iGEM 2018

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Plant Synthetic Biology

As a team, we believe we are eligible for the 'Best Advancement in Plant Synthetic Biology' prize for several reasons. Firstly, we attempted to tackle a very serious and worldwide pest problem, using a fairly unexplored system in a unique way. Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, we added several parts to the iGEM phytobrick registry, all of which are GoldenGate compatible for teams who wish to use the system, but also can be used with the conventional iGEM cloning if desired. Two of these parts are the two potentially extremely useful reporter genes, Gus and mCherry, both codon optimised for Nicotiana benthamiana. Thirdly, we experimentally characterised several parts that are used in plant synthetic biology, through a series of experiments using different reporter genes.

The adversity of aphids

Aphids are global crop pests, reportedly causing severe damage to crops, reducing yields by highly significant numbers. In Australia alone, for example, Myzus persicae caused Canola yields to decline by around 34%, and lupin yields a decline of 43%, costing the country $241 million and $482 million per year due to direct feeding and indirect virus transmission, respectively⁽¹⁾. In Pakistan, damage from aphids directly, due to feeding, only represents an average Triticum aestivum L. (wheat) yield decline of between 35-40%, compared to between 20-80% indirectly due to viral or fungal disease transmission⁽²⁾.

Reporting on reporters

Defining DNA

References

(1) - Valenzuela, I. and Hoffmann, A. (2014). Effects of aphid feeding and associated virus injury on grain crops in Australia. Austral Entomology, 54(3), pp.292-305.

(2) - Muhammad, A. (2012). Wheat Crop Yield Losses Caused by the Aphids Infestation. Journal of Biofertilizers & Biopesticides, 03(04).

(3) -

• Document the useful parts we have added
• Document the usefulness of the project
• Document the results within plants, such as each of the reporter assays, terminator and promoter characterisation