Team:Austin UTexas LASA

DOPA-DUO

LASA iGEM

While its causes are still unknown, Parkinson’s disease is currently associated with the lack of dopamine in particular regions of the brain. Presently, one of the most common treatments for Parkinson’s is the prescription of levodopa tablets, which increases dopamine levels by introducing dopamine’s chemical precursor, levadopa to the body. Our project involves building DNA circuits that produce and regulate levadopa using bacteria rather than pills. One plasmid focuses on the production of levadopa, E. Coli with HpaBC gene, and another regulates and monitors the first plasmid, E. Coli with a multigene assembly that includes a transcriptional factor, PP2551, which will increase levels of levadopa production when IPTG is introduced. We have a Venus fluorescent protein assembled into the sensing plasmid so that we are able to visualize and measure the amount of levadopa produced.