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Cell-free Protein Expression Using the Rapidly Growing Bacterium Vibrio natriegens
Published on: March 14, 2019
Engineering a customizable antibacterial T6SS-based platform in Vibrio natriegens
Biswanath Jana1, Kinga Keppel1, Dor Salomon1
1Department of Clinical Microbiology and Immunology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Abstract:
Bacterial pathogens are a major risk to human, animal, and plant health. To counteract the spread of antibiotic resistance, alternative antibacterial strategies are urgently needed. Here, we construct a proof-of-concept customizable, modular, and inducible antibacterial toxin delivery platform. By engineering a type VI secretion system (T6SS) that is controlled by an externally induced on/off switch, we transform the safe bacterium, Vibrio natriegens, into an effective antibacterial weapon. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the delivered effector repertoire, and thus the toxicity range of this platform, can be easily manipulated and tested. We believe that this platform can serve as a foundation for novel antibacterial bio-treatments, as well as a unique tool to study antibacterial toxins.
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