Genomikon biohack kit gives school children first taste of synthetic biology

A kit from Genonikon can give school children a taste of synthetic biology. The kit contains "color expression cassettes blue gene (AmilCP, sequence taken from a chromoprotein made by the coral Acropora millepora), a yellow gene (the classic green fluorescent protein, which is yellow under natural light, from the jellyfish Aequorea victoria), and a red gene (red fluorescent protein, an engineered mutant of GFP)."

"The plasmid parts feature a split vector, with the origin of replication separated from the antibiotic selection marker. This allows placement of the origin at the beginning of the construct, and the selection at the end, helping ensure a complete error-free assembly."

The colors produced by the genes supplied with the kit all glow under ultraviolet light.