Team:CoBRA

From 2014hs.igem.org

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Revision as of 20:30, 7 March 2014

This is a template page. READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS.

You are provided with this team page template with which to start the iGEM season. You may choose to personalize it to fit your team but keep the same "look." Or you may choose to take your team wiki to a different level and design your own wiki. You can find some examples HERE.

You MUST have the following information on your wiki:

a team description
project description
safety information (did your team take a safety training course? were you supervised in the lab?)
team attribution (who did what part of your project?)

You may also wish to add other page such as:

lab notebook
sponsor information
other information

REMEMBER, keep all of your pages within your teams namespace.
Example: 2013hs.igem.org/Team:CoBRA/Our_Pets

You can write a background of your team here. Give us a background of your team, the members, etc. Or tell us more about something of your choosing.	File:CoBRA logo.png 200px
Tell us more about your project. Give us background. Use this as the abstract of your project. Be descriptive but concise (1-2 paragraphs)	File:CoBRA team.png Your team picture
	Team CoBRA

Official Team Profile

The CoBRA iGem team will attempt to engineer a new DNA biobrick containing a specific promoter gene, a gene of interest (one of three different Class I chitinases; PgeChia1-1, PgeChia1-2, and PcChia1-1,)3 and a terminator gene. This construct will then be placed in E.coli bacteria so that this bacteria, when subjected to pine tree resins, will secrete the chitinase which will kill the Gc.

3N. Kolosova, J. Bohlmann, and C. Breuil. "Cloning and characterization of chitinases from interior

   spruce and lodgepole pine." Elsevier (2014): 1-8. Print.

Background Information For our project, the CoBRA IGem team has decided to attempt to manage the devastation that the mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) has caused to the pine trees in forests along the Rocky Mountains in Alberta and British Columbia. This beetle burrows into the bark of the lodgepole pine of these Mountains and with the help of a fungus called the Blue Stain Fungus (Grosmannia clavigera), lays its eggs in the tree. The winter then kills the beetle off, but the eggs, which are protected from the cold by the tree, survive the winter and mature to be able to start the cycle all over again. The Gc spreads its mycelium into the phloem, and then feeds on this essential structure, thus choking off the supply of glucose to the tree. Research also shows the the BSF survives the pine trees defensive resin production, by using the monoterpene chemicals as its food source.

These processes put the tree under tremendous stress and often kills it. The Mountain Pine Beetle has always been a factor in this ecosystem, but historically, winters have been harsh and cold enough to keep the beetle population in check. With global warming beginning to produce noticeable increases in winter temperatures, more and more beetles have been able to survive, and the population has reached a level where it is capable of ravaging huge chunks of forest, not only destroying the ecosystem, but rendering the lumber unusable.

Looking at this problem from several angles, our team decided that the best way to combat this epidemic would be by killing off the Blue Stain Fungus or Gc. One reason is that the BSF is helpful, but not essential to the MPB survival. Secondly, by focussing on the BSF, we are attempting to minimize our disruption of MPB predator populations, such as woodpeckers and other birds. Thirdly, our objective is to focus specifically on the pathogenic BSF and not destroy the symbiotic relationships of a forest fungal ecosystem.

Chitin is a structural component of the cell wall of many pathogenic fungi including BSF. Chitinases are enzymes that hydrolyze the polymer chitin breaking it down. Extensive research has been conducted to determine whether plant chitinases have a role in defense against fungal diseases. Expression of cloned chitinase genes in transgenic plants has provided further evidence for their role in plant defense. The level of protection observed in these plants is variable and may be influenced by the specific activity of the enzyme, its localization and concentration within the cell, the characteristics of the fungal pathogen, and the nature of the host-pathogen interaction. The expression of chitinase in combination with one or several different antifungal proteins should have a greater effect on reducing disease development, given the complexities of fungal-plant cell interactions and resistance responses in plants.

Notebook

Show us how you spent your days.

Results/Conclusions

What did you achieve over the course of your semester?

Safety

What safety precautions did your team take? Did you take a safety training course? Were you supervised at all times in the lab?

Attributions

Who worked on what?

Human Practices

What impact does/will your project have on the public?

Fun!

What was your favorite team snack?? Have a picture of your team mascot?

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-===Project===
+CoBRA iGEM Project Proposal
-What are you working on this semester?
+Our research is to determine whether chitinase genes in transgenic E.coli will be produced and to what degree to reduce the BSF disease in pine trees.
+The CoBRA iGem team will attempt to engineer a new DNA biobrick containing a specific promoter gene, a gene of interest (one of three different Class I chitinases; PgeChia1-1, PgeChia1-2, and PcChia1-1,)3 and a terminator gene. This construct will then be placed in E.coli bacteria so that this bacteria, when subjected to pine tree resins, will secrete the chitinase which will kill the Gc.
+N. Kolosova, J. Bohlmann, and C. Breuil. "Cloning and characterization of chitinases from interior
+    spruce and lodgepole pine." Elsevier (2014): 1-8. Print.
+Background Information
+For our project, the CoBRA IGem team has decided to attempt to manage the devastation that the mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) has caused to the pine trees in forests along the Rocky Mountains in Alberta and British Columbia.  This beetle burrows into the bark of the lodgepole pine of these Mountains and with the help of a fungus called the Blue Stain Fungus (Grosmannia clavigera), lays its eggs in the tree.  The winter then kills the beetle off, but the eggs, which are protected from the cold by the tree, survive the winter and mature to be able to start the cycle all over again.  The Gc spreads its mycelium into the phloem, and then feeds on this essential structure, thus choking off the supply of glucose to the tree.  Research also shows the the BSF survives the pine trees defensive resin production, by using the monoterpene chemicals as its food source.
+These processes put the tree under tremendous stress and often kills it.  The Mountain Pine Beetle has always been a factor in this ecosystem, but historically, winters have been harsh and cold enough to keep the beetle population in check.  With global warming beginning to produce noticeable increases in winter temperatures, more and more beetles have been able to survive, and the population has reached a level where it is capable of ravaging huge chunks of forest, not only destroying the ecosystem, but rendering the lumber unusable.
+Looking at this problem from several angles, our team decided that the best way to combat this epidemic would be by killing off the Blue Stain Fungus or Gc.  One reason is that the BSF is helpful, but not essential to the MPB survival.  Secondly, by focussing on the BSF, we are attempting to minimize our disruption of MPB predator populations, such as woodpeckers and other birds.  Thirdly, our objective is to focus specifically on the pathogenic BSF and not destroy the symbiotic relationships of a forest fungal ecosystem.
+Chitin is a structural component of the cell wall of many pathogenic fungi including BSF.  Chitinases are enzymes that hydrolyze the polymer chitin breaking it down. Extensive research has been conducted to determine whether plant chitinases have a role in defense against fungal diseases.  Expression of cloned chitinase genes in transgenic plants has provided further evidence for their role in plant defense. The level of protection observed in these plants is variable and may be influenced by the specific activity of the enzyme, its localization and concentration within the cell, the characteristics of the fungal pathogen, and the nature of the host-pathogen interaction. The expression of chitinase in combination with one or several different antifungal proteins should have a greater effect on reducing disease development, given the complexities of fungal-plant cell interactions and resistance responses in plants.
 ===Notebook===