Primarily we will develop tools for plant synthetic biology using the golden gate phytobricks standard. We will take previously characterized promotor elements that respond to a variety of environmental stimuli and move these into the phytobrick standard. These promotor elements will be used to generate TUs that drive reporter gene expression and will represent useful tools for future iGEM teams.
Secondly we will use these phytobricks to express the composite TSHantag protein, which is an antagonist for Graves Disease, caused by hyperthyroidism. The TSHantag has not previously been used as a therapeutic agent so we will use the tobacco gene expression system to produce high levels of the protein, which will then be tested in a human in vitro system by collaborators at the Cardiff University Medical School.
We have expertise using the tobacco expression system so will welcome collaborations with iGEM teams who wish to test the function of their proteins in plants!
