Melanin Produced by the Fast-Growing Marine Bacterium Vibrio natriegens through Heterologous Biosynthesis: Characterization and Application
Abstract
Melanins are macromolecules that are ubiquitous in nature and impart a large variety of biological functions, including structure, coloration, radiation resistance, free radical scavenging, and thermoregulation. Currently, in the majority of investigations, melanins are either chemically synthesized or extracted from animals, which presents significant challenges for large-scale production. Bacteria have been used as biocatalysts to synthesize a variety of biomaterials due to their fast growth and amenability to genetic engineering using synthetic biology tools. In this study, we engineered the extremely fast-growing bacterium V. natriegens to synthesize melanin nanoparticles by expressing a heterologous tyrosinase gene with inducible promoters. Characterization of the melanin produced from V. natriegens -produced tyrosinase revealed that it exhibited physical and chemical properties similar to those of natural and chemically synthesized melanins, including nanoparticle structure, protection against UV damage, and adsorption of toxic compounds. We anticipate that producing and controlling melanin structures at the nanoscale in this bacterial system with synthetic biology tools will enable the design and rapid production of novel biomaterials for multiple applications.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Feb 18, 2020
- Source ID
- 10.1128/aem.02749-19
Entities
People
- Ali Dhinojwala
- Amy Chen
- Dagmar H Leary
- Daniel A Phillips
- Erin E Kelly
- Eunkeu Oh
- Eunkyoung Kim
- Evan R. Glaser
- Gary J Vora
- Gregory F Payne
- Jaimee R. Compton
- Okhil K Nag
- Pamela F. Lloyd
- Paul T. Charles
- Tanya Tschirhart
- Weiyao Li
- Zachary Schultzhaus
- Zheng Wang
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- Defense Threat Reduction Agency
- National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
- National Science Foundation
- United States Naval Research Laboratory
- University of Akron
- University of Maryland