Parts

The documentation for biological parts we used.

Parts

Parts Library

Our Parts Library provides a complete collection of all biological parts used in the LEGO system, including both basic parts and composite parts. Based on their functional roles, these parts are categorized into three groups: optogenetic system validation elements, light-responsive activator of the LEGO system, and dual-hormone expression vector of the LEGO system.

Optogenetic system validation elements

The optogenetic system validation elements include components used in experiments validating the sustained nuclear localization of the iLID-sspB system, blue-light responsiveness, and bioluminescence-induced activation. These parts employ localization sequences to target iLID and sspB to specific subcellular compartments (e.g., nucleus, cytoplasm, plasma membrane), while fused fluorescent proteins enable direct visualization of protein localization and dynamics under microscopy. Selected components also incorporate NanoLuc luciferase for generating endogenous bioluminescence. The efficient assembly of these parts provides a concise and reliable optogenetic toolkit for validating the applicability of light-responsive systems.

Table 1. Optogenetic system validation elements.
Part Number Part Name Type Composition Status Registry
BBa_25SVZLG1 iLID improved light-induced dimer Coding Basic Part Uploaded by WLSA Shanghai Academy but not novel Link
BBa_25CKWQSO SspB nano Coding Basic Part Uploaded by WLSA Shanghai Academy but not novel Link
BBa_K5036002 NLS Signaling Basic Part Existing Link
BBa_25B1YMN7 NLyn membrane targeting sequence Coding Basic Part New Link
BBa_25UVDTT5 miRFP670nano3 deep-red fluorescent protein Coding Basic Part Uploaded by WLSA Shanghai Academy but not novel Link
BBa_25XIDIXX mCherry Coding Basic Part Existing Link
BBa_25AWEP97 Nluc Coding Basic Part New Link
BBa_25T0DJLM NLS-miRFP670nano3-SspB Coding Composite Part New Link
BBa_257KZSX5 NLyn-miRFP670nano3-SspB Coding Composite Part New Link
BBa_25ZVZJXP NLuc-iLID-mCherry Coding Composite Part New Link
BBa_25FPKXWO NLS-Nluc-iLID-mCherry Coding Composite Part New Link

Light-responsive activator of the LEGO system

The components in this section were assembled to create the optogenetic transcriptional activator of the LEGO system, incorporating functional modules including nuclear localization, light-responsive dimerization, DNA-binding, and transcriptional activation domains. These modules were fused with fluorescent proteins to enable spatial visualization. The final version of the optogenetic activator also integrated NanoLuc luciferase, enabling potential activation via endogenous bioluminescence. All components were consolidated into a pair of light-inducible dimerizing elements and co-expressed from a single vector through an IRES-mediated bicistronic design, resulting in a minimal-function optogenetic transcriptional activator.

Table 2. Functional elements for the light-responsive activator of the LEGO system.
Part Number Part Name Type Composition Status Registry
BBa_25EWENZZ Gal4DBD Gal4 DNA binding domain Protein_Domain Basic Part New Link
BBa_J176013 VP64 Protein_Domain Basic Part Existing Link
BBa_K3338004 Internal ribosome entry site (IRES) for use in eukaryotic cells RBS Basic Part Existing Link
BBa_25XW3FSE NLS-Nluc-iLID-VP64-IRES-NLS-Gal4DBD-miRFP670nano3-SspB light inducible transcription activator Coding Composite Part New Link

Dual-hormone expression vector of the LEGO system

The core components of this section consist of our engineered human insulin and bioactive GLP-1 constructs, designed for expression and secretion in mammalian cells. The dual-hormone genes and a fluorescent reporter gene mCherry are linked via IRES, all driven by a 5×UAS-guided Hsp70 promoter that provides a specific binding scaffold for the optogenetic activator.

Part Number Part Name Type Composition Status Registry
BBa_254SX1VP Furin Sites-Inserted Human Preproinsulin Coding Basic Part New Link
BBa_259V4OIU Human GLP-1 (7-37) (A8G) Fused with Extendin-4 Secretion Signal Coding Basic Part New Link
BBa_25KHXHFS Hsp70 promoter Prometer Basic Part New Link
BBa_K5182008 The upstream activating sequence (UAS) is a region that interacts with the transcriptional regulator Coding Basic Part Existing Link
BBa_251FTTH1 UAS-Hsp70 inducible promoter Prometer Composite Part New Link
BBa_25EIL13E Ins-IRES-GLP1-IRES-mCherry for human preproinsulin and human GLP1 (7-37) (A8G) expression Coding Composite Part New Link