Participation in the iGEM 2022 InterLab study

Since we are a first time iGEM team we didn’t have a previous distribution kit on hand to begin our work on the challenge version of the protocols right away, thus we had to wait for the distribution kit to arrive. Between today’s shipping time being a complete gamble and the package getting stuck in our customs for about a month we got a very late start. The work began immediately once we got our hands on the distribution kit and the opportunity to start (at that time we had very limited access to the lab due to its high occupancy). Despite all the trouble, we managed to finish the calibration and the 3rd experiment in time.

New parts

We have created 7 new basic parts for Rhodotorula toruloides (BBa_K4398000 to BBa_K4398006, see also Parts). These parts include protein coding sequences for enzymes needed to produce crocin, a promoter and a terminator. The most important parts are the promoter and terminator, because they allow the expression of new genes in Rhodotorula toruloides.

With the new parts we introduce a new model organism to the iGEM ecosystem - R. toruloides. Future iGEM teams can build upon these parts and use the features of R. toruloides to their advantage.

iGEM tradition in Latvia

We are the very first iGEM team from Latvia. Our goal this year was not only to work on crocin production in R. toruloides, but also to kickstart a lasting iGEM tradition in Latvia. We have tried to make lasting infrastructure for future Latvian teams, by acquiring lab space and contacts within the Latvian microbiology and synthetic biology communities. We have also gathered contacts with other iGEM teams (see collaborations), with whom we hope to develop lasting communication.