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

• Published in: microPublication biology Vol. 2022
• Main Authors: Siddiqui, Fardeen, Ulker, Meliha, Laizure, Isabelle E, Johnson, Kristen C
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Caltech Library 01.01.2022
• Subjects: New Finding; Other
• ISSN: 2578-9430
• DOI: 10.17912/micropub.biology.000616

Multiple strains of Staphylococcus are resistant to antibiotics, including the well-known methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). We share an engineered plasmid device in Escherichia coli that lyses the disease-causing pathogen, S. aureus. The device was engineered using BioBrick parts obtained from the International Genetically Engineered Machine foundation (iGEM). The cI-blue-lysostaphin device consists of a temperature-sensitive promoter that is activated under physiological fever temperatures above 35°C that drives expression of a blue chromoprotein reporter and mature truncated lysostaphin enzyme. The functioning cI-blue-lysostaphin device was tested for optimal lysis conditions in MM294 and DH5α E. coli chassis and across incubation temperatures ranging from 30-42°C. We conclude that the lysostaphin activity of the cI-blue-lysostaphin device differs between chassis and increases with greater incubation temperature.