Research Area 8: Life sciences (8.1 biochemistry subsection) Engineering nanoscale protein containers
Abstract
The metabolic engineering field has made great strides in the last decade, as evidenced by the microbial production of artemisinin, 1,3- propanediol, and some biofuels, but future biochemical targets may necessitate specific control of the local chemical environment for cost- effective yields. Bacterial microcompartments offer tunable scaffolds to organize and sequester such reactions within the cell, and thus can serve as a new, multipurpose device in the synthetic biology toolkit. With this work, we develop design rules for assembling and using such a device. In this progress report, we outline our progress toward the previously delineated milestones and objectives. Notably, we recently published a paper in Journal of Biological Chemistry that describes how N-terminal tags can be used to control the compartmentalized levels of two proteins at once. We also gained a deeper understanding of mechanisms for tuning encapsulation levels, and made progress in developing assays that probe questions about microcompartment shell assembly. On all objectives, we are proceeding at or ahead of schedule, and we expect to continue to discern the key principles that govern protein self-assembly and cargo encapsulation.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Oct 30, 2018
- Source ID
- W911NF1510144
Entities
People
- Danielle Tullman-Ercek
Organizations
- Army Contracting Command
- United States Army
- University of California, Berkeley