A BioBrick compatible strategy for genetic modification of plants

Area of Science:

• Plant biotechnology
• Synthetic biology
• Genetic engineering

Background:

• Plant biotechnology offers diverse applications in food, fuel, medicine, and materials.
• Synthetic biology principles accelerate plant engineering by standardizing methods.
• Increased accessibility in plant engineering encourages broader bioengineer participation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish a standardized framework for engineering the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana.
• To facilitate the use of BioBrick compatible vectors and parts in plant systems.
• To demonstrate a proof-of-concept for engineering plants within a synthetic biology context.

Main Methods:

• Utilized standardized, BioBrick compatible vectors and parts from the Registry of Standard Biological Parts.
• Engineered the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana.
• Developed a workflow for heterologous gene expression in plants.

Main Results:

• Presented a framework for engineering plants using standardized biological parts.
• Successfully engineered a proof-of-concept Arabidopsis thaliana plant.
• Demonstrated exogenous expression of the taste-inverting protein miraculin.

Conclusions:

• Encourages synthetic biologists and iGEM teams to utilize plants as a genetic chassis.
• Simplifies the application of standardized parts in plant systems.
• Enables construction and expression of heterologous genes within typical iGEM project timeframes.