BioBricks
Part Types
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Chassis – organism (E. coli, yeast, mammalian)
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Vectors – plasmids, strains
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Parts - Proteins, RBS
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Devices – Inverters, reporters
Chassis
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Constructing systems in bacteria (E. coli)
This chassis can interact with most other
organisms
Conjugation, bacteriophage, signalling etc.
Vectors
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Plasmid – circle of extra chromosomal DNA that
can be inserted into cells
These can contain biobrick pieces or be a
“backbone” into which one can place biobrick
pieces
Strains?
Parts
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Regulatory
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Terminators
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RNA
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DNA
Protein Coding
 Ribosome Binding
Sites
 Conjugation
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Regulatory
www.ntu.edu.sg/home5/pg04325488/dfl.htm
Terminators
http://www.sparknotes.com/biology/molecular/dnatranscription/section2.rhtml
RNA
Nature Biotechnology 22, 841 - 847 (2004)
DNA
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Spacers
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Add Biobricks site
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Insertion
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Transpososome
Protein coding
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Genes that code for useful proteins
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Repressors, activators
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Integrases, Excisionases
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Enzymes
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Reporters
Ribosome binding sites
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Site where the ribosome binds (obviously)
Different sequences lead to change in
translation
These sites can be used for riboregulators or
other regulation
Conjugation

Genes and plasmids for the transfer of genetic
material via conjugation.
kentsimmons.uwinnipeg.ca/16cm05/1116/16monera.htm
Devices
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Reporters
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Protein Generator

Inverters
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Composite Devices
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Signalling
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Measurement
Reporters
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Semi-rudundant to DNA as there are genes of
reporters in this category
Also reporters expressed by constitutive and
regulated promoters
Some more complex systems using reporters
Inverters, Logic devices
PoPs -Polymerase Per Second (or PoPS) is defined as the number of times
that an RNA polymerase molecule passes a specific point on DNA per unit time
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Signalling
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Communication between an individual cell and
its neighbors
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Signal Senders
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Signal Receivers
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devices using signalling
Protein Generation
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RBS-gene-terminator

promoter-RBS-gene-terminator

operator-promoter-RBS-gene-terminator
Composite devices

Catch all device category
Measurement
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Promoter output measurements
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RBS characterization
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QPI refers to a Quad-Part Inverter: an RBS,
repressor protein, terminator and promoter
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Screening plasmids: promoter, reporter,
cloning site, reporter
“Other”
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PCR primers
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Tags – degradation, binding and restriction sites
General info
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Biobricks: http://parts.mit.edu/registry/index.php/Main_Page
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Search biobricks: http://parts.mit.edu/r/parts/partsdb/search.cgi