Team:CAPS Kansas

From 2014hs.igem.org

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The Effects of Increased Pyruvate Kinase Expression on the Production of Alkanes in Cyanobacteria
The Effects of Increased Pyruvate Kinase Expression on the Production of Alkanes in Cyanobacteria
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Humans rely on carbon resources for nutrition and energy. Through industrialization we have become dependent on non-renewable fossil fuels to the detriment of the environment. Recent research into renewable biofuels has included work on the production of corn-based ethanol and the microbial degradation of cellulose from terrestrial plants. Biofuels derived from these sources are not fully sustainable. Third generation biofuels include those derived from microalgae. Cyanbacteria are microalgae known to fix carbon dioxide into alkanes through the collective processes of photosynthesis, glycolysis, and fatty acid biosynthesis. The CAPS iGEM Team 2014 begins metabolic engineering of these pathways by expressing a rabbit muscle derived pyruvate kinase, known to be a key regulator of glycolysis, within the cyanobacteria Synechocystis PCC 6803 in an effort to increase alkane production. Pathways will be modeled using TinkerCell and assays for the production of pyruvate, fatty acids, and alkanes will be used to characterize our system.
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Humans rely on carbon resources for nutrition and energy. Through industrialization we have become dependent on non-renewable fossil fuels to the detriment of the environment. Recent research into renewable biofuels has included work on the production of corn-based ethanol and the microbial degradation of cellulose from terrestrial plants. Biofuels derived from these sources do not provide enough sustainability for current and future needs. Third generation biofuels include those derived from microalgae. Cyanobacteria, a microalgae that is known to fix carbon dioxide into alkanes through the collective processes of photosynthesis, glycolysis, and fatty acid biosynthesis. The CAPS iGEM Team 2014 begins metabolic engineering of these pathways by expressing a rabbit muscle derived pyruvate kinase, known to be a key regulator of glycolysis, within the cyanobacteria Synechocystis PCC 6803 in an effort to increase alkane production. Pathways will be modeled using TinkerCell and assays for the production of pyruvate, fatty acids, and alkanes will be used to characterize our system.
===Notebook===
===Notebook===

Revision as of 17:29, 11 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:CAPS_Kansas/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.

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:CAPS Kansas team.png
Your team picture
Team CAPS_Kansas


Official Team Profile

Contents

Team

Tell us about your team, your school!


Project

What are you working on this semester?

The Effects of Increased Pyruvate Kinase Expression on the Production of Alkanes in Cyanobacteria

Humans rely on carbon resources for nutrition and energy. Through industrialization we have become dependent on non-renewable fossil fuels to the detriment of the environment. Recent research into renewable biofuels has included work on the production of corn-based ethanol and the microbial degradation of cellulose from terrestrial plants. Biofuels derived from these sources do not provide enough sustainability for current and future needs. Third generation biofuels include those derived from microalgae. Cyanobacteria, a microalgae that is known to fix carbon dioxide into alkanes through the collective processes of photosynthesis, glycolysis, and fatty acid biosynthesis. The CAPS iGEM Team 2014 begins metabolic engineering of these pathways by expressing a rabbit muscle derived pyruvate kinase, known to be a key regulator of glycolysis, within the cyanobacteria Synechocystis PCC 6803 in an effort to increase alkane production. Pathways will be modeled using TinkerCell and assays for the production of pyruvate, fatty acids, and alkanes will be used to characterize our system.

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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