Norma A Valdez-Cruz, Octavio T Ramírez, Mauricio A Trujillo-Roldán
{"title":"Molecular responses of Escherichia coli caused by heat stress and recombinant protein production during temperature induction.","authors":"Norma A Valdez-Cruz, Octavio T Ramírez, Mauricio A Trujillo-Roldán","doi":"10.4161/bbug.2.2.14316","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4161/bbug.2.2.14316","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In a recent review, we discussed the extensively used temperature-inducible expression system, based on the pL and/or pR phage lambda promoters that are finely regulated by the thermo-labile cI857 repressor. In this system, an increase in temperature induces the heterologous protein production and activates the heat shock response, as well as the stringent and SOS responses. The same responses are activated just by the overproduction of recombinant protein. All such responses result in a metabolic burden to the cells, a decrease in the specific growth rate, and alterations in the central carbon metabolism. Altogether, these effects can alter the quantity and quality of the produced foreign protein. Here, we compare and discuss the transcription of selected genes, and the concomitant synthesis of heat-shock proteins (hsp) soon after thermal induction, in relation to the responses that occur in other expression systems that also trigger the heat-shock response.</p>","PeriodicalId":89091,"journal":{"name":"Bioengineered bugs","volume":"2 2","pages":"105-10"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2011-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.4161/bbug.2.2.14316","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"29910044","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Time it was, and what a time it was...","authors":"Roy D Sleator","doi":"10.4161/bbug.2.1.14315","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4161/bbug.2.1.14315","url":null,"abstract":"So much has happened since our January 2010 launch that it's difficult to know even where to begin... While the world of commerce witnessed a catastrophic return to the dark days; the scientific word beheld some of the brightest and most dramatic advances of our time and Bioengineered Bugs was there to chronicle them all.","PeriodicalId":89091,"journal":{"name":"Bioengineered bugs","volume":"2 1","pages":"1-2"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2011-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.4161/bbug.2.1.14315","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"30213491","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Proteomics in the microbial sciences.","authors":"Ciaren Graham, Geoff McMullan, Robert L J Graham","doi":"10.4161/bbug.2.1.14413","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4161/bbug.2.1.14413","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Mass spectrometry based proteomics is now widely used in the microbial sciences. In conjunction with transcriptomics it has greatly enhanced the field of microbial biology and has provide microbiologists with unparalleled insights into cellular processes and functions. Proteomics allows the dynamic nature of the entire protein network to be mapped providing a deeper understanding of microbial systems, their evolution and role in disease states. This review is intended to provide an overview of mass spectrometry and its application to the field of microbial proteomics. Background is provided on the core mass analyzers, including the Orbitrap mass spectrometer, and novel fragmentation processes such as Electron Transfer Dissociation which leave post-translational modifications intact on peptide backbones allowing for their identification and localization. The review will also provide information on current key quantitative technologies and the state of the art in microbial metaproteomics.</p>","PeriodicalId":89091,"journal":{"name":"Bioengineered bugs","volume":"2 1","pages":"17-30"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2011-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.4161/bbug.2.1.14413","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"29910140","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Zhenyu Wang, Jonathan S Dordick, Robert J Linhardt
{"title":"Escherichia coli K5 heparosan fermentation and improvement by genetic engineering.","authors":"Zhenyu Wang, Jonathan S Dordick, Robert J Linhardt","doi":"10.4161/bbug.2.1.14201","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4161/bbug.2.1.14201","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>N-acetyl heparosan is the precursor for the biosynthesis of the important anticoagulant drug heparin. The E. coli K5 capsular heparosan polysaccharide provides a promising precursor for in vitro chemoenzymatic production of bioengineered heparin. This article explores the improvements of heparosan production for bioengineered heparin by fermentation process engineering and genetic engineering.</p>","PeriodicalId":89091,"journal":{"name":"Bioengineered bugs","volume":"2 1","pages":"63-7"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2011-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.4161/bbug.2.1.14201","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"29910148","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Michiel M Harmsen, Adriaan F G Antonis, Rob J M Moormann, Jeroen Kortekaas
{"title":"Parenteral vaccination of mammalian livestock with Newcastle disease virus-based vector vaccines offers optimal efficacy and safety.","authors":"Michiel M Harmsen, Adriaan F G Antonis, Rob J M Moormann, Jeroen Kortekaas","doi":"10.4161/bbug.2.1.13349","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4161/bbug.2.1.13349","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Newcastle disease virus (NDV) is an avian virus that is being evaluated as a vaccine vector for the delivery of foreign genes in mammals. The use of NDV as a vaccine vector in these species offers two major advantages. First, NDV is highly attenuated in mammals, rendering its use inherently safe. Second, mammals lack pre-existing NDV immunity, which minimizes the risk of vaccination failure. NDV-vector vaccines are generally administered to mammals via the respiratory route. We recently showed that intramuscular vaccination with NDV-based Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) vaccines provides complete protection in mice and induces neutralizing antibodies in sheep and cattle, the main target species of RVFV. Here, we discuss the use of NDV as a vaccine vector for applications in mammalian livestock with an emphasis on the vaccination route. We also report the results of novel experiments that underscore our notion that vaccination via a parenteral route is more effective than immunization via the respiratory route.</p>","PeriodicalId":89091,"journal":{"name":"Bioengineered bugs","volume":"2 1","pages":"58-62"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2011-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.4161/bbug.2.1.13349","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"29910145","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii as a platform for the production of human protein therapeutics.","authors":"Beth A Rasala, Stephen P Mayfield","doi":"10.4161/bbug.2.1.13423","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4161/bbug.2.1.13423","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Microalgae are a diverse group of eukaryotic photosynthetic microorganisms. While microalgae play a crucial role in global carbon fixation and oxygen evolution, these organisms have recently gained much attention for their potential role in biotechnological and industrial applications, such as the production of biofuels. We investigated the potential of the microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii to be a platform for the production of human therapeutic proteins. C. reinhardtii is a unicellular freshwater green alga that has served as a popular model alga for physiological, molecular, biochemical and genetic studies. As such, the molecular toolkit for this microorganism is highly developed, including well-established methods for genetic transformation and recombinant gene expression. We transformed the chloroplast genome of C. reinhardtii with seven unrelated genes encoding for current or potential human therapeutic proteins and found that four of these genes supported protein accumulation to levels that are sufficient for commercial production. Furthermore, the algal-produced proteins were bioactive. Thus, the microalga C. reinhardtii has the potential to be a robust platform for human therapeutic protein production.</p>","PeriodicalId":89091,"journal":{"name":"Bioengineered bugs","volume":"2 1","pages":"50-4"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2011-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.4161/bbug.2.1.13423","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"29910146","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Transformation of the mycorrhizal fungus Laccaria bicolor using Agrobacterium tumefaciens.","authors":"Minna J Kemppainen, Alejandro G Pardo","doi":"10.4161/bbug.2.1.14394","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4161/bbug.2.1.14394","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Most boreal and temperate forest trees form a mutualistic symbiosis with soil borne fungi called ectomycorrhiza (ECM). In this association both partners benefit due to nutrient exchange at the symbiotic interface. Laccaria bicolor is the first mycorrhizal fungus with its genome sequenced thus making possible for the first time to analyze genome scale gene expression profiles of a mutualistic fungus. However, in order to be able to take full advantage of the genome sequence, reverse genetic tools are needed. Among them a high throughput transformation system is crucial. Herein we present a detailed protocol for genetic transformation of L. bicolor by means of Agrobacterium tumefaciens with emphasis on critical steps affecting the success and efficiency of the approach.</p>","PeriodicalId":89091,"journal":{"name":"Bioengineered bugs","volume":"2 1","pages":"38-44"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2011-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.4161/bbug.2.1.14394","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"29910142","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
David Kelly, Olivia McAuliffe, R Paul Ross, Jim O'Mahony, Aidan Coffey
{"title":"Development of a broad-host-range phage cocktail for biocontrol.","authors":"David Kelly, Olivia McAuliffe, R Paul Ross, Jim O'Mahony, Aidan Coffey","doi":"10.4161/bbug.2.1.13657","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4161/bbug.2.1.13657","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The aims of this study were to investigate the incidence of different resistance mechanisms to phage K in a bank of Irish Staph aureus hospital strains; and to develop a broad host-range phage cocktail with enhanced lytic activity against those strains which were previously phage resistant. A bank of 180 Staph aureus strains, which included all the sequence types currently in existence in Ireland, were tested for sensitivity to phage K. Twenty nine strains were identified, which did not permit plaque formation. The phage resistance systems in the 29 strain were investigated and it was found that restriction modification (r-m) was evident in 24, an adsorption inhibition mechanism was evident in three, while two were resistant by an unidentified mechanism. Seventeen modified derivatives of phage K were developed which could circumvent all the r-m systems. Nevertheless, six of the modified phage were considered superior in terms of their individual host ranges. These six were pooled as a cocktail with phage K, which then lysed 24 of the 29 resistant strains (97.2% of the entire staphylococcal bank). In conclusion, phage resistant systems affecting phage K are common in Staph. aureus but it is possible to significantly broaden the host-range of this phage for biocontrol applications.</p>","PeriodicalId":89091,"journal":{"name":"Bioengineered bugs","volume":"2 1","pages":"31-7"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2011-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.4161/bbug.2.1.13657","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"29910141","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Efficient E. coli expression systems for the production of recombinant β-mannanases and other bacterial extracellular enzymes.","authors":"Montarop Yamabhai, Bancha Buranabanyat, Nanthnit Jaruseranee, Chomphunuch Songsiriritthigul","doi":"10.4161/bbug.2.1.13419","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4161/bbug.2.1.13419","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Two Escherichia coli expression systems based on T7 RNA polymerase promoter (pET system) and tac promoter (pFLAG system) have been used for the production and secretion of recombinant β-mannanases from Bacillus sp. Both E. coli OmpA signal peptide and native Bacillus signal peptide could be used efficiently for the secretion of recombinant enzymes into periplasmic space and culture media. The genes could be induced for over-expression with 0.1-1 mM isopropyl-β-D-1-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG) when the OD 600 of the culture broth reached 0.6-1.5. The recombinant enzymes could be harvested from whole cell lysate, perimplasmic extract, or culture broth after induction for 4-20 hours. Since the enzyme is C-terminally tagged with hexahistidine, the recombinant enzymes could be conveniently purified to apparent homogeneity by one-step immobilized-metal affinity chromatography (IMAC) using Ni-NTA resins. The characteristics of purified recombinant β-mannanases from B. licheniformis and B. subtilis, which share 78% amino acid identity, are slightly different. These systems should be applicable for the production of various recombinant bacterial extracellular enzymes.</p>","PeriodicalId":89091,"journal":{"name":"Bioengineered bugs","volume":"2 1","pages":"45-9"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2011-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.4161/bbug.2.1.13419","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"29910143","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mark S Waidmann, Fenja S Bleichrodt, Tanja Laslo, Christian U Riedel
{"title":"Bacterial luciferase reporters: the Swiss army knife of molecular biology.","authors":"Mark S Waidmann, Fenja S Bleichrodt, Tanja Laslo, Christian U Riedel","doi":"10.4161/bbug.2.1.13566","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4161/bbug.2.1.13566","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Bioluminescence is a process during which light in the visible spectrum is emitted as a consequence of an enzymatic reaction catalyzed by luciferases. Luciferases have been identified mainly in marine organisms and are used for several biological purposes include camouflage, repulsion, attraction, communication and illumination. Some of the currently known luciferases have become indispensible tools in modern molecular biology and are used for diverse applications such as autoinducer-1 activity assays, promoter test assays in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes, imaging of bacterial infections in live animals, in vivo activity assays genes involved in host response and disease and monitoring of bacterial contaminations of food products. With the present review, the authors intend to give an overview on the currently used bacterial luciferase reporter systems, their methodologies and applications and compare them to other reporter systems.</p>","PeriodicalId":89091,"journal":{"name":"Bioengineered bugs","volume":"2 1","pages":"8-16"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2011-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.4161/bbug.2.1.13566","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"30213493","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}