Team:The Agency Escondido

Sponsored by

Team Description

The Agency is an organization of students, parents, faculty and mentors operating out of the Classical Academy High School of Escondido, CA. Our objective is to compete in challenging venues, and to foster the development of skills and character needed to each occasion. Our efforts are focused in areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

Project Description

Our project seeks to create two identical triads of transparent bacteria strains with complementary hydrophobic inducer production to emulate the game of "rock, paper, scissors" (Hydrophobic proteins can move through plasma membranes). Each triad will correspond to a group: group A and group B. Each type of bacteria will produce a specific protein that will act as an inducer to one and only one other bacteria strain(rock strain, paper strain, and scissors strain). Each triad will have different reporter genes designating its champion color. When two bacteria strains are combined in an agar plate, each protein secreted by the victorious strain, when acting as an inducer, changes the color of the cells on the plate identifying the champion.

The "rock" bacteria strain will have a CFP (part E0020) and promoter (part R0080). It will contain the LacR gene (part C0079) to induce the "paper" strain.

The "paper" bacteria strain will have a RFP (part K359003)and promoter (part J64712). It will contain the Agr P2 generator gene (part K359003) to induce the "scissors" strain.

The "scissors" bacteria strain will have an GFP (part E0040) and promoter (part I746360). It will contain the AraC gene (part 228008) to induce the "rock" strain.