Synthetic yeast from 2.0 to 3.0

The Synthetic Yeast Genome Project (Sc2.0) is the world’s first synthetic eukaryotic genome project that aims to create a novel, rationalized version of the genome of the yeast species Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We have a better understanding of how yeast genome works after synthesizing yeast genome. Based on what we learned from Sc2.0, we are aiming to re-design a yeast genome with well-known regulatory elements and codon optimized open reading frames. By doing this, we could engineer a simpler yeast genome, which gives us an opportunity to explore the folding and stabilizing mechanisms of eukaryotic chromatin.

Genome Project-write

The Genome Project-write (GP-write) is an open, international research project, which includes whole genome engineering of human cell lines and other organisms of agricultural and public health significance. GP-write will use synthesis and genome editing technologies to understand, engineer and test living systems. It will build on the knowledge and technological advances of HGP-read, and could be an equally transformative next step.

Epigenetics

Epigenetics is part of a field of genetics-"epi" coming from the Greek for "over, on top of". Epigenetics is an additional layer of instructions that lies "on top of" DNA, controlling how the genes are read and expressed. We have established versatile histone H3/H4 and H2A/H2B mutant library in yeast to study histone related DNA-damage response, genome stability and synthetic lethal interactions, etc. We also focus on newly identified histone modifications, both on biological mechanism investigation and regulatory network mapping.

Grants