Building a mathematical model is the most critical step in project refinement which complements the wet experiment. Thus we organized an on line modelling workshop with NAU-China. We’ve learned that NAU-China chose the τ-leap algorithm to predict the biochemical reactions. They also used the binary classification property of support vector machines and a certain training set to determine the secondary structure of proteins by amino acid.
Although NAU-China and ZJU-China worked on different topics this year, the exchange of numerical models based on biochemical metabolism has taught both sides new modelling needs and new ideas. Our next step will be to integrate the different models and combine the data from the wet experiments to make our models better serve the project.
Fig 1 Modelling workshop with NAU-China
This year, ZJUT-China also chose to use Bacillus subtilis as their chassis organism, but ZJU-China's experiments are progressing a little faster. Thus, after learning that ZJUT-China choose to use the plasmid PMA5 and the promoter HPAII, we decided to help ZJUT-China test the efficiency of this promoter. We obtained the plasmid PMA5 with promoter HPAII on it from ZJUT-China, and inserted the reporter genes GFP and RFP respectively downstream of HPAII. After transforming the plasmids into Bacillus subtilis by chemical method, the colonies on the plates expressed clear red or green fluorescence. By this we verified that the promoter HPAII is strong enough to express the exogenous genes and sent our results back to ZJUT-China
Fig 2 Testing promoter HPAII using GFP and RFP as reporters
We also sent ZJUT-China our constructed plasmid, inserting reporter RFP or GFP after promoter Pveg on plasmid pHY300PLK.
We have known that our initial choice of promoter Pveg was a moderately strong promoter. And after accessing the iGEM part library, we found that P43 is a commonly used strong promoter. In order to improve the efficiency of biomineralisation, we wanted to express carbonic anhydrase with a stronger promoter. At this point, GXU-China nicely sent us their plasmid with the promoter P43. Likewise, we characterised promoter P43 with GFP, confirmed the strong constitutive promoter property of P43, and used this promoter in many of our composite Parts.
We also sent GXU-China our constructed plasmid, inserting reporter RFP or GFP after promoter Pveg on plasmid pHY300PLK.
Fig 3 Sending our constructed plasmids to ZJUT-China and GXU-China
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some of the networking events could not be held offline, but we still built an online bridge to communicate with various iGEM teams. We have been involved in planning many large scale meetup events and play a unique role in them. We are open to universities worldwide to exchange ideas about project design and experiments, and invite experts to give comments.
When the regular registration for iGEM 2022 was over and many iGEM teams had already decided on their projects for the summer, the epidemic in China still made it difficult for iGEMers to exchange ideas. However, the epidemic could not stop the iGEMers' love for creating life, so various online networking sessions emerged.
In order to promote communication and cooperation between iGEM teams in the China, in May, CPU_CHINA, ZJUT-China, ZJU-China, HiZJU-China and ZJUintl-China decided to jointly organize an online networking session about iGEM projects for 2022. We invited Bao Yuhan, the iGEM Human Practice Program Officer, Liu Wenxi, Ambassador of iGEM community, and 4 doctors majoring in all kinds of fields such as pharmacy, medicine and management, to offer us guidance.
This online networking session gathered more than 200 iGEMs from 25 teams across China, allowing us to learn about the projects that various Chinese iGEM teams will be working on in 2022, helping us to get to know each other, and providing opportunities for subsequent Partnerships or Collaborations with teams on the same track.
Fig 4 Five teams jointly holding an online networking session
This year, there were three teams from Zhejiang University, ZJU-China, HiZJU-China and ZJUintl-China, participating in the iGEM competition. As we are from the same university, there were more opportunities for our three teams to communicate and work together.
We had an onsite meeting with HiZJU-China where the team members introduced themselves to each other and presented their projects, through which we introduced HiZJU-China to several professors at Zhejiang University who study tea science and integrated pest management (IPM). In addition, we met with ZJUintl-China online. As many of the ZJUintl-China team members major in bioinformatics, the knowledge background of them are different from ours. Therefore, we learnt a lot about research ideas and methods in bioinformatics analysis from ZJUintl-China, which broadened our team members' horizons.
Fig 5 Meeting with HiZJU-China and ZJUintl-China
After the project networking session we've mentioned before, the three iGEM teams, ZJU-China, GXU-China and ZJUT-China, found that we had all chosen Bacillus subtilis as our chassis organism, so we had a learning exchange online through Tencent meeting, focusing on the experimental design of genetic modification of Bacillus subtilis, and JNU-China also joined us.
The Bacillus seminar allowed us to learn about common strains of Bacillus subtilis. We also talked about plasmids, promoters and transformation methods for Bacillus subtilis. Without doubt this seminar helped us to understand more about the differences between Bacillus subtilis, a Gram-positive bacterium, and E.coli, the strain we commonly use in laboratory works. Here we show appreciation to all the teams for their dedication and sharing in this event!
Fig 6 Attending Bacillus seminar
ZJU-China team values collaboration with teams and wants to share projects with as many teams as possible, so we participated in the 9th China Regional iGEMer Conference held by CCiC, (Conference of China iGEMer community), which was held online due to the epidemic. We submitted posters and videos of our projects and won the best poster award at the conference.
Fig 7 Our poster and awards on CCiC
Since ZJU-China has won the Best Safety single award in 2021, this year, LZU-China invited Zhang Boyan, mentor of ZJU-China 2022 as well as the team member of ZJU-China 2021, to give an opening talk to 9 high school teams including LZU-HS-Pro-A, Thinker-Shenzhen, Nanjing_NFLS etc., sharing the experience about designing the safety module with them. This seminar made those high school teams have a clearer understanding of biosafety and helped them to design their biosafety module better this year.
Fig 8 Attending biosecurity seminar with LZU-HS
Due to the pandemic, the community recommended reducing unnecessary and high-risk gatherings, and we conducted as much offline communication with the iGEM community as we could. We met with both domestic and overseas teams, college and high school teams, and incorporated advice from all parties regarding our program.
We were one of the organizers of the project, and we encountered many problems with the venue, photography, and other aspects of the project outside of the communication, and we were able to gain planning experience for each member through intra-team communication and inter-team collaboration.
Fig 9 Attending onsite meetup with college and high school teams.
