Engineered device in E. coli lyses S. aureus at physiological fever temperatures

Area of Science:

• Synthetic Biology
• Microbiology
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Antibiotic resistance in Staphylococcus strains, including MRSA, poses a significant public health threat.
• Novel therapeutic strategies are needed to combat resistant bacterial pathogens.
• Engineered biological systems offer potential solutions for targeted pathogen eradication.

Purpose of the Study:

• To engineer a plasmid device in Escherichia coli capable of lysing Staphylococcus aureus.
• To investigate the temperature-dependent activity of the engineered device.
• To evaluate the performance of the device across different E. coli chassis.

Main Methods:

• Utilized BioBrick parts from iGEM to construct the cI-blue-lysostaphin plasmid device.
• Incorporated a temperature-sensitive promoter activated above 35°C.
• Drove expression of a blue chromoprotein reporter and lysostaphin enzyme.
• Tested device functionality in MM294 and DH5α E. coli strains at temperatures from 30-42°C.

Main Results:

• The engineered plasmid device successfully lysed Staphylococcus aureus.
• Lysostaphin activity demonstrated variability between MM294 and DH5α E. coli chassis.
• Increased incubation temperature correlated with enhanced lysostaphin activity.

Conclusions:

• The cI-blue-lysostaphin device represents a viable synthetic biology approach for targeting Staphylococcus aureus.
• Temperature sensitivity offers a controllable mechanism for activating pathogen lysis.
• Further optimization may be required to enhance device efficacy across different bacterial chassis.