Team:Dalton School NY

Students in the Advanced Biotechnology and Molecular Biology course at The Dalton School are collaborating with scientists and students at Johns Hopkins University on their effort to construct a synthetic yeast genome. The short term-goals of this project are to construct large libraries of promoters, protein-coding sequences, and terminators that can be easily combined to form functional genes. Dalton students are cloning 30 promoters as part of this effort. In addition, we are also cloning the protein-coding sequences for 6 fluorescent proteins that can eventually be combined with the promoters to test the strength of the promoters. After constructing genes, the individual genes can be assembled into synthetic yeast chromosomes. The long-term goal of the Hopkins Build-A-Genome initiative is to be able to engineer yeast that can be used to solve human problems including combating world hunger, producing alternative sources of fuel, and studying human disease pathways in a simplified system. For example, last year, Hopkins students inserted all of the enzymes necessary to produce vitamin A into yeast. These yeast can be used to bake bread containing vitamin A to supplement the diets of malnourished people. Johns Hopkins iGEM 2011