趋磁菌AMB-1超氧化物歧化酶Fe-SOD在大肠杆菌中的表达及生理活性研究

超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)可以减轻超阳阴离子O2-对细胞的毒害作用,提高菌体的抗氧化能力,从而改善菌株的生理状态.利用PCR技术,将趋磁菌AMB-1的超氧化物歧化酶基因esod克隆至原核表达载体pET-20b(+),并在E coli BL21(DE3)有效表达.重组菌株BL21 (DE3)/(pET-20b-fesod-histag)在0.6 mmol/L IPTG诱导浓度下进行发酵培养,在生长前期2-14 h生长速率优于对照组E.coli BL21(DE3)/(pET-20b).通过亲和层析柱纯化后,重组酶蛋白纯度达电泳均一,超氧化物歧化酶fesod活性最造作用温度为25℃,在25℃和45℃下酶热稳定较好,pH4.2-8.2之间酶活力稳定.趋磁菌AMB-1来源的Fe-SOD作为一种抗氧化酶,在大肠杆菌中的有效表达从一定程度上改善了宿主菌的生长情况.     

大肠杆菌BL21(DE3)膜组分相关基因的敲除对重组蛋白胞外分泌的影响

摘要:【目的】探究Escherichia coli BL21(DE3)中膜组分相关的脂多糖合成基因waaF或msbB的敲除对重组蛋白胞外分泌的影响。【方法】运用Red重组技术将E.coli BL21 (DE3)染色体上的基因waaF或msbB敲除,构建敲除菌株E.coli BL21(ΔwaaF)、E.coli BL21(ΔmsbB)。将本实验室保存的带有β-呋喃果糖苷酶(β-fructofuranosidase,β-FFase)、青霉素G 酰化酶(penicillin G acylase,PGA)基因的重组质粒pET-ffase、pET-pga分别转入敲除菌株及出发菌株中,构建工程菌株E.coli BL21(ΔmsbB)/pET-ffase、E.coli BL21(ΔwaaF)/pET-ffase、E.coli BL21(DE3)/pET-ffase、E.coli BL21(ΔmsbB)/pET-pga、E.coli BL21(ΔwaaF)/pET-pga、E.coli BL21(DE3)/pET-pga。最后通过摇瓶发酵研究敲除菌株对β-FFase、PGA胞外分泌的影响。【结果】当诱导表达4 h,以出发菌株E.coli BL21(DE3)为宿主时,β-呋喃果糖苷酶β-FFase的胞外分泌量占总表达量的2.6%,以敲除菌株ΔmsbB为宿主时,胞外分泌量达到19.7%,而以敲除菌株ΔwaaF为宿主时,胞外分泌量达到50.9%。另外,当诱导表达24 h,以敲除菌株ΔwaaF为宿主时,青霉素G酰化酶PGA的胞外酶活是出发菌株中的4.1倍,达到1708 U/L。【结论】本研究成功构建了敲除菌株ΔmsbB和ΔwaaF,ΔmsbB能明显增强β-FFase的胞外分泌,而ΔwaaF对β-FFase和PGA的胞外分泌均有显著的强化作用。     

右旋糖酐蔗糖酶工程菌株的构建及其培养条件的研究

[目的]右旋糖酐蔗糖酶是一种以蔗糖为底物,催化转移D-葡萄糖基生成α-葡聚糖或低聚糖的葡萄糖基转移酶.[方法]利用PCR扩增技术,将已获得的右旋糖酐蔗糖酶基因dexYG亚克隆到表达载体PET28a( )上,转化E.coli BL21(DE3),经过卡那霉素抗性筛选和酶切验证后,得到右旋糖酐蔗糖酶工程菌株BL21(DE3)/pET28-dexYG.[结果]经IPTG诱导该基因在E.coli BL21(DE3)中能有效表达,在诱导过程中菌体生长受到抑制.通过对培养时间、IPTG浓度、培养温度、菌浓(OD600)和pH值等产酶因素的优化考察,得到最佳培养条件为:培养时间5h、IPTG浓度0.5mmol/L、25℃、OD600值1.0和pH6.0.酶活力由最初的5.39U/mL提高到35.62U/mL,其中pH值对产酶活力影响最大,在pH6.0时的最高产酶活力是LB原始pH条件下最高酶活的3.5倍,并且pH值也是导致在诱导后期酶活迅速下降的主要原因之一.[结论]酶的表达和酶活的研究结果表明,构建的工程菌株能够异源高效表达右旋糖酐蔗糖酶,并且表现出较高的酶活力.     

yhcZ基因在苏云金芽胞杆菌生长中的功能研究

在枯草芽胞杆菌和蜡样芽胞杆菌中,yhcZ基因和yhcY基因组成双组分系统调控细菌生长,但yhcZ基因在苏云金芽胞杆菌中发挥的生物学功能尚未明确。本研究通过基因功能注释、上下游基因排列分析和氨基酸序列比对,证实苏云金芽胞杆菌库斯塔克亚种HD73中HD73_5824基因为yhcZ基因,推测其与HD73_5825基因(yhcY基因)共同组成双组份系统调控细菌生长。利用同源重组技术敲除HD73菌株中的yhcZ基因获得缺失突变体HD (ΔyhcZ),其在LB和SSM培养基中生长均慢于野生型HD73,而互补菌株HD(ΔyhcZ::yhcZ)菌株则能够部分恢复生长,表明yhcZ基因的缺失影响了该菌株细胞的生长。在以0.4%葡萄糖为唯一碳源的M9培养基中,HD (ΔyhcZ)生长速度快于HD73,表明yhcZ基因在该菌株吸收利用葡萄糖的过程中发挥重要作用。Biolog实验显示HD (ΔyhcZ)的单孔颜色变化率低于HD73,且对D/L-丝氨酸、甲酸、D-葡糖酸、L-组胺,D-乳酸甲酯以及柠檬酸等的吸收利用能力低于HD73,表明yhcZ基因能显著影响HD73菌株对碳源的利用。同时,HD(ΔyhcZ)对8% NaCl的耐受能力弱于HD73,表明该基因可能参与细菌细胞应力响应相关基因的表达与调控。以上结果表明yhcZ基因在HD73菌株生长过程中对葡萄糖及其他碳源的利用具有重要的促进作用。本研究结果为解析yhcZ基因调控葡萄糖及碳源利用的分子机制奠定基础,且为进一步研究细菌生长及发酵提供参考。     

象耳豆根结线虫Hsp70基因相关功能分析

Hsp70基因的表达量在研究中常作为一个重要的生理指标来反映机体的状况。为了研究象耳豆根结线虫Hsp70基因相关功能,本研究前期成功构建了p EASY-E1-Me Hsp70和p ET30a-Me Hsp70两个原核表达载体,通过热激转化将其分别转入大肠杆菌(Escherichia coli)BL21进行表达。对转入Me Hsp70基因的大场杆菌BL21、转入空载的大肠杆菌BL21和大肠杆菌BL21原始菌种在55℃、65℃进行热稳定性测定,在37℃、200 r/min条件下进行生长曲线测定。热稳定性试验结果表明,转入p ET30a-Me Hsp70基因的大场杆菌生存时间较长,而转入p EASY-E1-Me Hsp70的菌株、转入空载的菌株和原始菌株热稳定性都相对较差。通过荧光定量PCR测定发现Me Hsp70基因均有上调表达,转入p ET30a-Me Hsp70基因的大场杆菌Hsp70基因水平高于其他菌株。生长曲线测定试验结果表明,重组菌株与原始菌株生长曲线基本一致,转入p ET30a-Me Hsp70载体的菌株调整期滞留时间长于其他菌株。该项研究表明Me Hsp70基因能够提升大肠杆菌BL21的抗应激能力和影响大肠杆菌BL21的生长,为进一步开展Me Hsp70基因在象耳豆根结线虫生长过程的功能研究提供了一定的理论基础。     

定点突变提高D-氨甲酰水解酶的可溶性表达

采用定点突变的方法对皮氏伯克霍尔德氏菌(Burkholderia pickettii)来源的D-氨甲酰水解酶(D-carbamoylase,DCase)编码基因的3个位点A18、Y30、K34进行突变,并将获得的突变体基因片段构建入高表达载体pET-28b中,转化E coli BL21( DE3),获得带有组合三突变(A18E/Y30D/K34E)的DCase-SM表达菌株BL21/pET-DCSM.当以IPTG诱导目的蛋白表达时,发现突变菌株(DCase-SM)与出发菌株(DCase)菌株相比,目的蛋白的可溶性表达显著提高,其可溶蛋白比例约为64％;与出发菌株相比,其单位菌体酶活增加427％;另外,与本实验室前期构建的高可溶性三叠加突变体菌株DCase-M3相比,单位菌体酶活亦增加7.9％.     

敲除aceE基因对大肠杆菌生长和丙酮酸代谢的影响

大肠杆菌aceE基因是编码丙酮酸脱氢酶多酶复合体PdhR的关键酶之一。利用Red重组系统敲除大肠杆菌MG1655的aceE基因后,阻断了丙酮酸流向TCA循环,导致丙酮酸的累积,也使菌体生长受到影响,在培养基中补加5 g/L KAc后可以在一定程度上弥补菌株在生长上的缺陷。摇瓶发酵36 h,MG1655没有积累丙酮酸,MG1655ΔaceE∷cat菌株可以积累26.77 g/L丙酮酸,为利用大肠杆菌发酵生产丙酮酸奠定了基础。     

香菇锰过氧化物酶基因（LeMnP1）生物信息学分析及高温胁迫下的表达

本研究对香菇锰过氧化物酶基因（manganese peroxidase 1,MnP1）进行了生物信息学分析,选用香菇出发菌株18和诱变菌株18N44作为实验材料,经测定高温胁迫后菌丝恢复生长速度,分析了高温胁迫过程中香菇锰过氧化物酶基因（LeMnP1）的表达水平及酶活性。结果表明：LeMnP1定位于细胞外,该蛋白属于过氧化物酶超家族,与其他担子菌具有较高的同源性。18N44在高温胁迫后其恢复能力明显强于18;在高温胁迫过程中,18N44中LeMnP1的基因表达水平均高于18,呈现先上升后下降的趋势;在未处理时,18N44的MnP活性显著高于18,随着高温胁迫时间延长,其酶活性显著下降,18的LeMnP1基因表达量及酶活性在整个高温胁迫过程中基本维持稳定。据此推测锰过氧化物酶基因的相对高表达,可能是18N44高温胁迫后恢复生长快的原因之一。     

谷氨酸棒杆菌SYPS-062 L-丝氨酸脱水酶活性分析及其基因敲除对L-丝氨酸积累的影响

以谷氨酸棒杆菌(Corynebacterium glutamicum) SYPS-062基因组DNA为模板,扩增得到L-丝氨酸脱水酶(L-SerDH)的编码基因sdaA。将其克隆到表达载体pET-28a(+),并在E.coli BL21(DE3)中诱导表达,对纯化的L-SerDH进行了酶活测定,并与来自C.glutamicum ATCC13032的重组L-SerDH进行了比较,结果显示,两种不同菌株来源的重组L-SerDH降解L-丝氨酸的酶比活力差异并不显著。在此基础上敲除菌株SYPS-062 的sdaA基因,探讨该基因对C.glutamicum SYPS-062生长及产酸的影响。通过构建自杀型重组质粒pK18mobsacB-△sdaA,电击转入C.glutamicum SYPS-062中,以同源重组的方式获得了sdaA基因缺失突变株,并用PCR方法对突变株C.glutamicum SYPS-062△sdaA进行了验证。与出发菌株相比,突变菌株生长缓慢,单位菌体L-丝氨酸的产量(Y_P/X)提高了15.13%。     

D-氨基酸氧化酶与麦芽糖结合蛋白和透明颤菌血红蛋白的融合表达

D-氨基酸氧化酶(DAAO)是一种重要的工业酶。为了进一步提高DAAO在大肠杆菌中的可溶性和活性表达, 分别构建了麦芽糖结合蛋白(MBP)和透明颤菌血红蛋白与三角酵母DAAO (TvDAAO) 的N-端融合蛋白。其中, MBP融合蛋白MBP-TvDAAO在组成型(JM105/pMKC-DAAO)和诱导型菌株(JM105/pMKL-DAAO)中表达时, 目标蛋白的可溶性表达量分别达到全细胞蛋白表达量的28%以上和17%左右, 比无MBP融合的对照菌株BL21(DE3)/pET-DAAO分别提高3.7和1.8倍; 但其酶活水平显著下降。VHb融合蛋白VHb-TvDAAO在重组菌BL21(DE3)/pET-VDAAO中摇瓶诱导表达时, DAAO酶活达到了3.24 u/mL, 比对照菌株BL21(DE3)/pET-DAAO提高了约90%。     

枯草芽孢杆菌Mn-SOD基因的克隆及原核表达

为了实现Mn-SOD基因在大肠杆菌(E.coli)中的可溶性表达,根据枯草芽孢杆菌(Bacillus subtilis)168sodA核酸序列设计引物,以枯草芽孢杆菌ATCC 9372基因组为模板,PCR扩增获得了Mn-SOD基因.将此基因重组至原核表达载体pET-28a,构建含Mn-SOD基因的重组表达质粒,并转化至大肠杆菌BL21(DE3).异丙基-β-D-硫代半乳糖苷(IPTG)诱导表达获得Mn-SOD,蛋白分子量约为26kD,占全菌蛋白的5.6%.改良的连苯三酚自氧化法测定SOD活力,菌体可溶性总蛋白SOD比活为51.09U·mg^-1,是对照组的.8倍.枯草芽孢杆菌ATCC 9372 Mn-SOD基因在大肠杆菌BL21(DE3)中首次成功表达,产物具有较高的可溶性和活性,为大量制备Mn-SOD奠定了基础.     

副溶血弧菌外膜铁蛋白受体pvuA基因的原核表达及产物的诱导条件优化

为构建弧菌铁蛋白受体pvuA重组质粒,提高其在大肠杆菌BL21中的表达产量,优化表达条件,并为其免疫原性研究奠定基础,从副溶血弧菌基因组DNA扩增了弧菌铁蛋白受体pvuA基因,构建了重组质粒pET-28a(+)-ferric vibrioferrin receptor,转入大肠杆菌BL21并经异丙基硫代半乳糖苷（isopropyl β-D-thiogalactoside,IPTG）诱导表达蛋白。在单因素试验的基础上,以菌体初始浓度、诱导时间、诱导温度、诱导剂浓度为自变量,菌体蛋白浓度为响应值,根据响应面法的Box-Benhnken中心设计原理,研究自变量及其交互作用对弧菌铁蛋白产量的影响,利用Design-Expert和响应面分析相结合的方法对诱导条件进行优化。IPTG诱导获得的重组蛋白以包涵体的形式存在,优化后最终确定重组弧菌铁蛋白受体pvuA最佳表达条件为菌体初始浓度OD600=0.6,诱导时间10 h,诱导温度37℃,IPTG浓度为1.0 mmol·L-1,此时包涵体沉淀中蛋白含量最高,为11.00 mg·mL-1。构建了弧菌铁蛋白受体pvuA的大肠杆菌重组表达质粒,通过优化表达...     

Cloning of the nitrile hydratase gene from Nocardia sp. in Escherichia coli and Pichia pastoris and its functional expression using site-directed mutagenesis

To obtain a recombinant Rhodococcus or Nocardia with not only higher enzymatic activity but also better operational stability and product-tolerance ability for bioconversion of acrylamide from acrylonitrile, an active and stable expression system of nitrile hydratase (NHase) was tried to construct as the technical platform of genetic manipulations. Two NHase genes, NHBA and NHBAX, from Nocardia YS-2002 were successfully cloned, based on bioinformatics design of PCR primers, and inserted into plasmid pUC18 and pET32a, respectively. Then, two recombinant Escherichia coli strains, JM105 (pUC18-NHBA) and BL21 (DE3) (pET32a-NHBAX) were constructed and their expressions of NHase were focused. The induction results showed that there was either no NHase activity in JM105 (pUC18-NHBA), or as low as 0.04 U (1 U=1 μmol acrylamide min⁻¹ mg⁻¹ dry cell) in BL21 (DE3) (pET32a-NHBAX). SDS-PAGE results showed that the -subunit of NHBA and NHBAX could not be efficiently expressed in both recombinant E. coli strains. The novel Pichia pastoris system was also applied to express NHase, but the expression level remained quite low (0.5–0.6 U) and the protein was unstable. For solving this problem, a possible genetic strategy, site-directed mutagenesis of the -subunit of the NHase was carried out. After the successful mutagenesis of the original rare start codon gtg into atg, a new recombinant strain, E. coli XL1-Blue (pUC18-NHBA^M), was screened and the NHase activity stably reached as high as 51 U under the same induction conditions.     

An over expression and high efficient mutation system of a cobalt-containing nitrile hydratase

A superior novel recombinant strain, E. coli BL21(DE3)/pETNH^M, containing the start codon mutation of the subunit, was constructed and selected as an overexpression and high efficient mutation platform for the genetic manipulation of the nitrile hydratase (NHase). Under optimal conditions, the specific activity of the recombinant strain reached as high as 452 U/mg dry cell. Enzymatic characteristics studies showed that the reaction activation energy of the recombinant NHase^M was 24.4 ± 0.5 kJ/mol, the suited pH range for catalysis was 5.5–7.5, and the K_m value was 4.34 g/L (82 mM). To assess the feasibility of the NHase improvement by protein rational design using this E. coli, site-directed mutagenesis of S122A, S122C, S122D and βW47E of the NHase^M were carried out. The NHase^M (S122A) and NHase^M (S122D) mutants were entirely inactive due to the charge change of the side-chain group. The product tolerance of the NHase^M (S122C) mutant was enhanced while its activity decreased by 30%. The thermo-stability of the NHase^M (βW47E) mutant was significantly strengthened, while its activity reduced by nearly 50%. These results confirmed that the specific activity of the mutant NHase expressed by the recombinant E. coli BL21(DE3)/pETNH^M can reasonably change with and without mutations. Therefore, this recombinant E. coli can be efficiently and confidently used for the further rational/random evolution of the NHase to simultaneously improve the activity, thermo-stability and product tolerance of the target NHase.     

钝齿棒杆菌中异源表达N-乙酰鸟氨酸脱乙酰基酶合成L-鸟氨酸的研究

目的:对一株产鸟氨酸的钝齿棒杆菌Corynebacterium crenatum SYPA5-5/△proB/△argF(SYPO-1)进行代谢工程改造,筛选不同细菌来源的N-乙酰鸟氨酸脱乙酰基酶在大肠杆菌中克隆与表达,纯化后对其进行酶学性质的比较;将黏质沙雷氏菌Serratia marcescens Y213来源的Smarg E基因编码的N-乙酰鸟氨酸脱乙酰基酶在L-鸟氨酸生产菌株C.crenatum SYPO-1中过量表达,进一步提高L-鸟氨酸的产量。方法:通过利用pDXW10穿梭质粒对不同来源的N-乙酰鸟氨酸脱乙酰化酶进行克隆表达和酶学性质比较,选择性质最优来源的N-乙酰鸟氨酸脱乙酰基酶编码基因Smarg E在产L-鸟氨酸重组钝齿棒杆菌中表达,考察重组菌株发酵过程中参数的变化。结果:来源于S.marcescens Y213的N-乙酰鸟氨酸脱乙酰基酶比酶活最高为798.98U/mg,最适pH为7,最适温度为37℃,0.1mmol/L的Mg~(2+)、Li~+、Mn~(2+)促进酶的比酶活提高了50%;在钝齿棒杆菌中表达N-乙酰鸟氨酸脱乙酰基酶酶活达到128.4U/ml,显著提高了钝齿棒杆菌中胞内乙酰基循环水平;5L发酵罐发酵重组菌株96h,L-鸟氨酸的产量达到38.5g/L,比出发菌株,L-鸟氨酸的产量提高了33.2%,产率达0.401g/(L·h)。结论:筛选出最佳来源的N-乙酰鸟氨酸脱乙酰基酶,在鸟氨酸生产菌株C.crenatum(SYPO-1)中过量表达,可以促进鸟氨酸的前体物质N-乙酰鸟氨酸的快速消耗,实现鸟氨酸的积累。     

Simultaneous expression of glutaryl-7-aminocephalosporanic acid acylase gene and lysis genes of phage λ in a recombinant E. coli

Glutaryl-7-aminocephalosporanic acid acylase (GLA), recommended for use in the form of immobilized-enzyme, is one of the two key enzymes in the two-step synthesis of 7-aminocephalosporanic acid. For simplifying the process of cell disruption and immobilization, the lysis genes of phage λ (S⁻RRz) with the S amber mutation were designed to introduce into the over-expression system of GLA. A novel recombinant strain, E. coli TB1/pMKC-AS, simultaneously containing the maltose binding protein gene (malE), the lysis genes (S⁻RRz) and the target GLA gene (Acy) in a same operon, was successfully constructed. Under neutral pH conditions, cell growth and GLA activity of TB1/pMKC-AS was not affected by the presence of the lysis genes, however, autolysis phenomenon was observed under weak alkaline conditions. Through pH control and fed-batch culture, the GLA activity of TB1/pMKC-AS reached as high as 6810 U/L with 24.8 g/L dry cell density (OD₆₀₀ = 67.9) in a 5 L fermentor. In contrast to the cells of E. coli TB1/pMKC-Acy without the lysis genes, the mild EDTA/Tris buffer (pH 8.0) can cause the lysis of the cells of TB1/pMKC-AS containing the lysis genes. Correspondingly, a mild pH 9.0/42 °C incubation method was developed for conveniently degrading the recombinant cells of TB1/pMKC-AS, based on the expression of the lysis genes. Further experiments showed that the cell lysate after the mild incubation disruption can be directly immobilized by 10% polyacrylamide to make the immobilized enzymes. In comparison with the immobilized GLA from TB1/pMKC-Acy, the immobilized cell lysate of TB1/pMKC-AS has the similar characteristics of catalysis stability, implying a great potential for industrial application of the lysis genes-assisted cell disruption.     

Surface display of a glucose binding protein

Glucose binding protein (GBP) from Escherichia coli has been widely used to develop minimally invasive glucose biosensors for diabetics. To develop a cell-based glucose biosensor, it is essential to functionally display GBP on the cell surface. In this study, we designed a molecular structure to display GBP on the outer membrane of E. coli. We fused GBP with the first nine N-terminal residues of Lpp (major E. coli lipoprotein) and the 46–150 residues of OmpA (an outer membrane protein of E. coli). With this molecular design, we have successfully displayed GBP on the surface of E. coli. Using FITC-conjugated Dextran, we demonstrated that glucose’s binding sites of surface-displayed GBP were accessible to glucose. Furthermore, we showed that glucose transport in a GBP-deficient E. coli NM303 could be restored by displaying GBP on the surface of NM303. 0.51 h⁻¹ of specific growth rate was attained for NM303/pESDG grown in M9 minimal medium supplemented with 2 g/l glucose, whereas no growth was observed for NM303 in the same medium. Both NM303 and NM303/pESDG grew in M9 medium supplemented with 1 mM of fucose. Because cell surface is an interface between intracellular and extracellular molecular events, this technique paves a way to develop cell-based glucose biosensors.     

Chlorambucil-induced high mutation rate and suicidal gene downregulation in a base excision repair-deficient Escherichia coli strain

Chlorambucil (CLB; N,N-bis(2-chloroethyl)-p-aminophenylbutyric acid) is a bifunctional alkylating agent widely used as an anticancer drug and also as an immunosuppressant. Its chemical structure and clinical experience indicate that CLB is mutagenic and carcinogenic. We have investigated the ability of CLB to induce mutations and gene expression changes in the wild-type (WT) Escherichia coli strain AB1157 and in the base excision repair-deficient (alkA1, tag-1) E. coli strain MV1932 using a rifampicin (rif) forward mutation system and a cDNA array method. The results showed that CLB is a potent mutagen in MV1932 cells compared with the E. coli WT strain AB1157, emphasizing the role of 3-methyladenine DNA glycosylases I and II in protecting the cells from CLB-induced DNA damage and subsequent mutations. Global gene expression profiling revealed that nine genes in WT E. coli and 100 genes in MV1932, of a total of 4290 genes, responded at least 2.5-fold to CLB. Interestingly, all of these MV1932 genes were downregulated, while 22% were upregulated in WT cells. The downregulated genes in MV1932 represented most (19/23) functional categories, and unexpectedly, many of them code for proteins responsible for genomic integrity. These include: (i) RecF (SOS-response, adaptive mutation), (ii) RecC (resistance to cross-linking agents), (iii) HepA (DNA repair, a possible substitute of RecBCD), (iv) Ssb (DNA recombination repair, controls RecBCD), and (v) SbcC (genetic recombination). Our results strongly suggest that in addition to the DNA damage itself, the downregulation of central protecting genes is responsible for the decreased cell survival (demonstrated in a previous work) and the increased mutation rate (this work) of DNA repair-deficient cells, when exposed to CLB.     

Lysozyme for capture of microorganisms on protein biochips

Lysozyme placed on the SiO₂ surfaces that have previously been derivatized with C₁₈ coating will capture both Escherichia coli and Listeria monocytogenes cells from PBS buffer at pH 7.2. This phenomenon is of significance for the design and fabrication of protein biochips that are designed to capture bacteria from buffer or water so that these can be further interrogated with respect to possible pathogenicity. Fluorescent microscopy shows that two types of bacteria (gram-negative E. coli and gram-positive Listeria spp.) will be adsorbed by lysozyme placed on the surface of the biochip but that strong adsorption of the bacteria is reduced but not eliminated when Tween 20 is present (at 0.5%) in the PBS buffer in which the cells are suspended. In comparison, Tween 20 and Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) almost completely block adsorption of these bacteria on C₁₈ coated surfaces. The combination of a lysozyme surface with Tween 20 gives a greater degree of adsorption of L. monocytogenes than E. coli, and hence suggests selectivity for the more hydrophobic E. coli may be reduced by the Tween 20. This paper presents protocols for preparing protein-coated, SiO₂ surfaces and the effect of buffer containing Tween 20 on adsorption of bacteria by SiO₂ surfaces coated with C₁₈ to which BSA, lysozyme or C11E9 antibody is immobilized at pH 7.2 and ambient temperature.