Recombinant Expression of Antimicrobial Peptides in E. coli
Class
Article
Department
Biological and Irrigation Engineering
Faculty Mentor
Charles Miller
Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
Abstract
Increasing bacterial resistance to antibiotics is a major health concern. The World Health Organization deems that antimicrobial resistance is an increasingly serious threat to global public health that requires action across all government sectors and society. New classes of antibiotics are being researched to solve the problem of antibiotic resistance. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) form an integral part of the innate immune system and are found throughout all classes of life. These naturally occurring peptides are used by plants and animals to combat bacterial and fungal infections. Up to this point, the cost and difficulty of producing and purifying native AMPs has been prohibitive. Studies have indicated that recombinant expression of AMPs in Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a promising method of producing the peptides. The purpose of this project is to develop a system, using synthetic biology, for recombinant expression of an AMP in E. coli which can later be modified for large scale production. The project includes designing a genetic circuit that allows for AMP production and purification in E. coli. The design consists of a specific AMP, a method to purify the AMP from other natural bacterial proteins, a system to induce protein synthesis since the AMP is toxic to the bacterial cell, and a method to cleave the affinity tag from the AMP after purification.
Start Date
4-9-2015 12:00 PM
Recombinant Expression of Antimicrobial Peptides in E. coli
Increasing bacterial resistance to antibiotics is a major health concern. The World Health Organization deems that antimicrobial resistance is an increasingly serious threat to global public health that requires action across all government sectors and society. New classes of antibiotics are being researched to solve the problem of antibiotic resistance. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) form an integral part of the innate immune system and are found throughout all classes of life. These naturally occurring peptides are used by plants and animals to combat bacterial and fungal infections. Up to this point, the cost and difficulty of producing and purifying native AMPs has been prohibitive. Studies have indicated that recombinant expression of AMPs in Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a promising method of producing the peptides. The purpose of this project is to develop a system, using synthetic biology, for recombinant expression of an AMP in E. coli which can later be modified for large scale production. The project includes designing a genetic circuit that allows for AMP production and purification in E. coli. The design consists of a specific AMP, a method to purify the AMP from other natural bacterial proteins, a system to induce protein synthesis since the AMP is toxic to the bacterial cell, and a method to cleave the affinity tag from the AMP after purification.