Team:MiamiU OH/Videos

iGEM 2021 | Miami University

Videos


Promotional Video

Description: A major inefficiency of photosynthesis is in the regeneration of Ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate (RuBP) during the Calvin cycle. Through genetic engineering, our team will disrupt the typical pathway of the Calvin cycle and implement the enzyme transaldolase, allowing the cycle to be streamlined for a more continuous and robust regeneration of RuBP. This could vastly improve agricultural productivity by providing a mechanism to boost plant growth.


Team Presentation Video

Description: Global agricultural productivity is projected to not meet the needs of increasing populations developing higher standards of living. On a cellular level, crop yield is limited by the inefficiency of photosynthesis. Our project aims to improve this efficiency by implementing an alternative RuBP regeneration portion of the Calvin-Benson-Bassham (CBB) cycle. Two alternative pathways, which use enzymes from other reactions that act on common metabolites used in the CBB cycle, were explored first via computational modeling. Impacts on growth and reaction fluxes in silico assessed the validity of these pathways in creating a more robust photosynthetic cycle. One of these pathways which overexpresses the native enzyme transaldolase, was also assessed in vivo. Ultimately, we showed the validity of two alternative pathways in allowing a more efficient regeneration stage of the CBB Cycle. These pathways could eventually be implemented into higher plants to allow more robust cycling and therefore higher crop yield.


Explore Next

A fly over picture of farm equipment.

Description

The world depends on high agricultural productivity to provide food and resources to local and global communities. However, global demand for crop production is expected to increase dramatically. Learn how Miami University's CROP could increase the yields of crop plants.

The entire Miami University iGEM team posing in Pearson Hall.

Team

The work done by Miami University's iGEM team was made possible by a team of dedicate and passionate students and advisors from a range of different STEM subject domains! Take a moment to learn more about Miami University's committed team!