Meeting Minutes for May 2, 2006

From 2006.igem.org

Minutes

Below is a list of the team members and what each of them is responsible for doing. Those in bold are new additions from the old to-do list.

Victoria – faculty liaison, faculty mentoring group (when to meet), alumni database (biotech), contact entrepreneurship program Kara – MCB, Navartis, Industry funding

Meghan – Pres. Funding, website, future planning

Angela – funding, minutes

John – lead, wiki, funding, department fundraising, future planning

Jesse – funding, equipment

Brendan – PR, CS, MCB, Sorin (contact), goldman sachs?

Peter G – wiki, CS, redo to-do list

Annie – research, courses and workshops (modeling, PCR, cloning, bio bricks, etc.)

Jamie G – magnetic bacteria

Hiyato – free radical reporter

Ana – magnetic bacteria, contact Sheldon about alumni mag.

Azeem – research, cell counter, monthly planning

Jason – free radical reporter, equipment needed

Jamie L – alumni data base (biotech), contact entrepreneurship program

- we will have a meeting the weekend after this one

CS funding update:

- they wanted to know if we had contacted MCB

- go and meet (John and Peter)

Sri presents on BacteriophageT7

- phage goes into a cell, copied and the exits

- T7 RNA polymerase encoded by gene 1

- 19 mapped essential genes, new ones named under existing structure, about 50 total

- self contained during infection

- host’s RNA polymerase is the motor which brings in the phage’s DNA

- process takes 10-15 min, infection completion takes 15-20 mins

- investigate if there is reason for genome’s layout

- T7 gene expression

- create model for gene expression

- measure mRNA levels

- track polymerases as they transcribe DNA

- take 100’s to get population data

- data collected by real time PCR

- can see when PCR products come up

- results: model is completely wrong

- early mRNA is degraded

- adjust model, rates fit better

- try to encode model onto DNA

- see paper from last week

- problems with physical rearrangement

- overlaps – how important are they?

- cloned as much as could with ecoli, then used PCR fusion techniques

- produce a phage that can survive

- then clone within the phage

- alternative cloning vehicles?

- Thinking of yeast

- only weak promoters see point mutations

- open reading frames: some known, unknown/unimportant

- T7.1

- Better control, inference about data easier

- Eukaryotes have fewer overlaps b/c of larger genome

- Being done with yeast