Enzyme-based targeted decontamination of bacterial pathogens
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Authors
Mehta, Krunal Kirit
Issue Date
2014-12
Type
Electronic thesis
Thesis
Thesis
Language
ENG
Keywords
Chemical engineering
Alternative Title
Abstract
The emergence of resistance to antibacterial agents is a pressing concern for human health. There continues to be a need for developing efficient and environmentally friendly treatments for several deadly bacterial pathogens. One emerging approach for inactivation of gram-positive bacteria is the use of bacteriolytic enzymes with highly evolved specificity toward bacterium-specific peptidoglycan cell walls. In this work, we have targeted selective decontamination of B. anthracis, used as a biological weapon and the causative agent of anthrax. Specifically, we performed in silico analysis of the genome of B. anthracis strain Ames using a consensus binding domain amino acid sequence as a probe, and identified a novel bacteriolytic enzyme (AmiBA2446). We characterized its amidase activity on isolated cell wall peptidoglycan, demonstrated its potent and selective bactericidal activity against B. anthracis amongst various Bacillus species tested, and its excellent storage and thermal stability. We also studied the influence of bacterial growth stage on bactericidal activity of lytic enzymes.
Description
December 2014
School of Engineering
School of Engineering
Full Citation
Publisher
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY