Contribution

Overview

Our team has successfully developed and characterized a new biosynthetic pathway for flavonoid glycosylation. Prior to knowledge, we are the first team in the world to successfully biosynthesize narirutin in yeast by introducing a new collection of glycosyltransferase-based parts, each optimized for yeast expression. Our work demonstrates a two step glucosylation cascade in Saccharomyces cerevisiae resulting in the formation of the flavonoid compound narirutin which is proven to have antiallergic and antihistamine effects. This achievement provides a strong foundation for microbial flavonoid biosynthesis and can help future iGEMers in introducing a reusable system for producing plant natural products in the yeast chassis which requires sequential and highly specific enzyme activities.

Parts

We have successfully contributed the parts BBa_254E6L9O (F7GT) and BBa_2589UWK7 (1,6RT) to the iGEM community. By successfully assembling and expressing production of the intermediate Naringenin-7-O-glucoside, we have laid the foundation of the synthesis of the isomer naringin. Naringin differs from narirutin only by the final glycosidic bond - while narirutin contains 1→6 rhamnosidic bonds, naringin features a 1→2 rhamnosidic bond. Despite sharing a common aglycone, naringenin, the biological effects and activities differ a lot. Narirutin is primarily associated with anti-allergic and anti-inflammatory effects, especially by suppressing histamine release and stabilization of mast cells. However, Naringin has stronger antioxidant and neuroprotective activities, and this compound is widely studied in the field of metabolic and cardiovascular health. Therefore, if there are any teams willing to biosynthesize naringin, we could definitely contribute in providing the F7GT construct and replace our 1,6RT gene with the 1,2RT enzyme to produce naringin instead of narirutin. (Refer to narirutin)

Fig.1: Narirutin Biosynthetic Pathway

Video Game

We created a web game “Cell Scavenger” that is not only entertaining, but can also educate the players with basic cell biology and synthetic biology knowledge. The aim of Cell Scavenger was to create an engaging, educational tool that introduces fundamental concepts of cell biology and synthetic biology through interactive gameplay. The game's modular code structure allows future iGEMers to customize its storyline, graphics, and biological pathways - to modify the game’s interface and create an even more inclusive, multisensory learning experience for students in school. This said, this game can be integrated into science classes, workshops, and even public exhibitions so that all citizens can enjoy this new experience of learning synthetic biology from a game. (Refer to Education)

Fig.2: Cell Scavenger

Hand Gestures

One highlight of HG-Tokyo's education initiatives is the creation of hand gestures that could substitute verbal communication. Sign language often does not cover specific scientific concepts and words, and therefore we designed multiple hand gestures for words such as “E. coli” and “Synthetic Biology” to help aid communication, as well as help children understand certain concepts through hand gestures. This international collaboration event was a wonderful opportunity to teach students in Hong Kong about some basic concepts of DNA and synthetic biology using hand gestures and visuals. This event could inspire and help future iGEMers to build upon missing hand gestures to further integrate them into live stage stalks, education workshops, or even science communication videos. These hand gestures could not only be used by iGEMers in the event of teaching students with hearing difficulties about scientific concepts, but could also be implemented when introducing these concepts to a wider audience, as the hand gestures inspired by the concepts could serve as an effective visual aid in understanding these concepts without additional materials such as a presentation. The event was made possible thanks to the international collaboration and cooperation of HKU-HongKong, HK-HCY-PCMS,and SUSTech-BIO and we further plan to spreading these hand gestures to the world. (Refer to Hand Gestures)

Fig.3: A part of the gesture for “Synthetic Biology”. Inspired by the concept of “BioBricks”.

Nasal Spray

HG-Tokyo designed a 100% recyclable nasal spray without metal pieces, with a manual pull-back piston mechanism. The production process of this nasal spray is recorded in a detailed manner, which would help future iGEMers design their own nasal spray. This is the fig below is the final product for the nasal spray. (Refer to Hardware)

The possibility of Revitalization with synbio feat. Kitayama Village

Beyond wet research itself, one of the team goals was to root synthetic biology and the presence of jabara in local communities across Japan. By conducting an investigation in Kitayama Village, in the Wakayama Prefecture, we spread the concept of synthetic biology to the people who might not even encounter it in their lifetime. Yet, the collaboration with the citizens in the Wakayama Prefecture was tremendous, where residents were able to discover new possibilities for jabara, the citrus fruit unique to their region.

Our initiative demonstrates that even communities that are rural and isolated have the chance to engage with and contribute to the field of synthetic biology. We have thus tried our best to set a benchmark for how synthetic biology can play a role as a catalyst for regional revitalization, and we believe we were able to expand the boundaries pf who can participate in the global science community.