Previous iGEM projects
From GcatWiki
This team tried to create a randomizer that chooses between two overlapping promoters that are mutually exclusive. One produces RFP while the other produces GFP. The team has a simulation and submitted parts to the registry but we were unable to find any conclusive results.
Davidson & MWSU 2007 Hin/Hix random flipping
Found a small snippet from the iGEM Idea Exchange in which the MIT Synthetic Biology Working Group listed desired parts that weren't in the registry as of 2008. Idea Exchange
" Random Number Generator
* FimE inverts a specific stretch of DNA, defined by a pair of sequence elements (IRR and IRL), forming a DNA loop between the two elements[3]. If we add multiple copies of one
of these elements (one IRR, two IRL), would FimE randomly choose one of the sites (one IRL out of the pair) to invert between? Either choose one of several promoters to attach
to a given gene, or one of several genes to attach to a given promoter.
* Then, can we tune the probability (from, say, 60:40 to 80:20 to 20:80)? Ideally do this dynamically (based on some small molecule) - use proteins that bend DNA to affect the
probability of loop formation. "
Newcastle iGEM 2009 "Stochastic Switch"
- attempted to create a synthetic stochastic switch that would decide whether it wanted to be a metal-containing spore or a spore that goes on to germinate as in the normal cell cycle.
- Used an invertible piece of DNA that had promoters on either side so depending on the orientation of the DNA, coding sequences would be expressed based on the decision of whether to be a metal container or not.
- Used Metlab to utilize the Gillespie algorithm for incorporating noise in cells.
