1 00:00:08,125 --> 00:00:08,796 >> Izzy: Hi Dude! 2 00:00:08,946 --> 00:00:09,596 What are you up to? 3 00:00:09,596 --> 00:00:11,626 >> Dude: I'm picking a promoter to use to in Buddy. 4 00:00:11,786 --> 00:00:14,856 I need a promoter that is always on that will make Buddy be red. 5 00:00:15,256 --> 00:00:17,456 >> Izzy: So why are you poking at the computer screen? 6 00:00:17,656 --> 00:00:19,056 >> Dude: Well how else do I pick one? 7 00:00:19,246 --> 00:00:22,576 I don't know which one to use so I figured I'd leave it to chance to decide. 8 00:00:22,676 --> 00:00:27,216 >> Izzy: Well why don't you use some of the promoter characterization data available 9 00:00:27,216 --> 00:00:30,046 on the Registry of Standard Biological Parts to decide? 10 00:00:30,116 --> 00:00:31,716 >> Dude: What is promoter measurement data? 11 00:00:31,916 --> 00:00:32,586 >> Sally: Hi Dude. 12 00:00:32,686 --> 00:00:36,956 Hi Izzy. Sounds like you two are having an interesting conversation. 13 00:00:36,956 --> 00:00:37,146 >> Izzy: Yeah. 14 00:00:37,556 --> 00:00:41,436 I was just about to tell Dude how to use promoter measurement data 15 00:00:41,506 --> 00:00:43,316 to pick the right promoter for Buddy. 16 00:00:43,396 --> 00:00:47,226 >> Sally: Well before you get into those details it might be worth chatting a bit 17 00:00:47,226 --> 00:00:48,686 about measurement in general. 18 00:00:49,086 --> 00:00:51,736 Why synthetic biologists measure part function? 19 00:00:52,036 --> 00:00:55,536 What measurements they make and how they do the measurements before getting 20 00:00:55,536 --> 00:00:57,316 into the details of the data itself? 21 00:00:57,786 --> 00:00:58,566 >> Izzy: That's true! 22 00:00:58,906 --> 00:01:00,206 >> Sally: Why don't we take a walk? 23 00:01:00,446 --> 00:01:02,016 Get some fresh air while we talk. 24 00:01:02,066 --> 00:01:05,426 Measurement is a key aspect of science and engineering. 25 00:01:05,536 --> 00:01:08,356 It lets you quantify the function of a part or component 26 00:01:08,356 --> 00:01:10,886 and compare its function to that of others. 27 00:01:11,045 --> 00:01:14,795 Unfortunately in synthetic biology, we're still figuring 28 00:01:14,795 --> 00:01:18,836 out what are the most useful measurements to make for genetic parts and devices. 29 00:01:18,836 --> 00:01:19,726 >> Dude: What do you mean? 30 00:01:20,066 --> 00:01:22,686 Why don't we just measure everything for every part? 31 00:01:22,776 --> 00:01:27,646 >> Sally: Well that can pretty quickly lead both to a lot of wasted time in making measurements 32 00:01:27,646 --> 00:01:30,326 that don't matter as well as an overwhelming amount of information. 33 00:01:31,446 --> 00:01:35,976 Ideally, we'd like to be able to only measure those characteristics of a part that you need 34 00:01:35,976 --> 00:01:39,946 to know in order to decide whether the part will work in your system of interest. 35 00:01:40,045 --> 00:01:42,676 >> Izzy: For example, when I bought a computer recently, 36 00:01:42,786 --> 00:01:47,056 I cared about how big the hard drive was and how much memory it had, 37 00:01:47,126 --> 00:01:50,466 because those were two performance metrics that I could use to figure 38 00:01:50,466 --> 00:01:53,196 out whether the computer would be sufficient for my needs. 39 00:01:53,306 --> 00:01:55,586 >> Dude: Well in the case of Buddy, I just need to know 40 00:01:55,586 --> 00:01:57,556 which promoter to use that will make him red. 41 00:01:58,246 --> 00:02:00,086 >> Izzy: But how red do you want Buddy to be? 42 00:02:00,356 --> 00:02:02,746 Should Buddy be pink, red, or dark red? 43 00:02:02,836 --> 00:02:05,666 To make decisions like that, you might need to know a bit more 44 00:02:05,666 --> 00:02:07,576 about how strong the promoter is. 45 00:02:07,786 --> 00:02:08,856 >> Sally: Exactly. 46 00:02:09,376 --> 00:02:13,716 Another measurement you might care about is how long the part works before it breaks. 47 00:02:13,816 --> 00:02:17,756 Genetic parts can "break" as Buddy grows and divides. 48 00:02:17,926 --> 00:02:23,116 For example, mutations or deletions can happen that interfere with part function. 49 00:02:23,196 --> 00:02:27,996 So depending on how long you expect Buddy to stick around, you might choose promoters 50 00:02:27,996 --> 00:02:29,926 that are more or less genetically stable. 51 00:02:29,986 --> 00:02:30,946 >> Dude: Whoa! 52 00:02:31,416 --> 00:02:34,666 I had no idea that measuring part function could be so complicated! 53 00:02:35,106 --> 00:02:39,356 Well I think I am going to find myself a strong promoter from the registry. 54 00:02:39,646 --> 00:02:43,376 I've decided that I want Buddy to be very dark red! 55 00:02:43,576 --> 00:02:44,376 >> Sally & Izzy: Have fun! 56 00:02:45,566 --> 00:02:47,326 >> Sally & Izzy: Jinx!