Dr Jim Haseloff, Lecturer
Synthetic Biology and Engineering of Plant Systems
Multicellular living systems demonstrate a capacity for self-organisation that is based on local cell-cell interactions. The developmental plasticity and functional autonomy of plant tissues make them ideal experimental material for dissecting these interactions, and we have developed new experimental tools to precisely monitor and engineer cell behaviour inside living plants.
Synthetic Biology is an emerging field that employs engineering principles for constructing genetic systems. The approach is based on the use of well characterised and reusable components, and numerical models for the design of biological circuits. In microbial systems, this has proved a more robust way to construct novel regulatory networks, including synthetic oscillators, switches, logic gates, intercellular signaling systems and metabolic networks, and shows great potential for the engineering of multicellular systems. It is feasible to consider creating new tissues or organs with specialised biosynthetic or storage functions by remodelling the distribution of existing cell types. Plants, with their indeterminate and modular body plans, wide spectrum of biosynthetic activities, ease of genetic manipulation, and wide use as crop systems, make ideal targets. Our laboratory uses a combination of genetic and microscopy techniques in concert with advanced 3D computer visualisation and biological modelling methods for engineering plant development.
Illustrations from left to right: Fernan Bioscapes 2010; Haseloff Bioscapes 2004; Sporangiophore; 38 cells
- Quick Links:
- PhD Projects available
- Marchantia polymorpha
- Marchantia polymorpha as a primitive plant model for Synthetic Biology experiments
- Synthetic Biology resources in Cambridge
- international Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) student competition in Cambridge
- Simple model systems for engineering morphogenesis
- Microanatomy of plant tissues: gallery of microscopy images
- Teaching resources for plant development and biotechnology
- Software development: biological modelling
- Software development: computer visualisation
- Contact us:
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Department of Plant Sciences
University of Cambridge
Downing Site Downing Street
CAMBRIDGE CB2 3EA
Email: jh295@cam.ac.uk
Office +44 (0)1223 766546 (Voice mail)
Lab +44 (0)1223 766545
Coleochaete scutata and Arabidopsis thaliana as model systems for morphogenetic studies.