Team:Baskent Meds/Project

From 2013.igem.org

(Difference between revisions)
Line 213: Line 213:
<div id="la'book" class="style2" style="position:absolute; left:25px; top:165px; width:1000px; height:274px; z-index:1; overflow: visible;">
<div id="la'book" class="style2" style="position:absolute; left:25px; top:165px; width:1000px; height:274px; z-index:1; overflow: visible;">
   <div id="gecher" style="position:absolute; left:2px; top:0px; width:970px; height:468px; z-index:1">
   <div id="gecher" style="position:absolute; left:2px; top:0px; width:970px; height:468px; z-index:1">
-
     <p align="left"><strong>Prof. Dr. Feride iffet &#350;ahin </strong></p>
+
     <p align="left"><strong>Transformation of Escherichia coli In Order To Develop Legionella pneumophila Sensing Bacteria </strong></p>
-
     <p align="left"><strong> Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, </strong><strong>Baskent University, Ankara, Turkey </strong></p>
+
 
-
    <p align="left"><strong>Curriculum Vitae </strong></p>
+
     <p> Our aim, as the team “Baskent_Meds”, is developing bacteria which can recognize Legionella pneumophila specifically at species level by legionella quorum sensing (lqs), and respond to that recognition by producing anti-Legionella peptide which is produced by someStaphylococcus strains. lqs gene locus is responsible for quorum sensing mechanism in Legionella pneumophila. On the lqs locus there are three genes; lqsA (encoding autoinducer synthase), lqsR (encoding response regulator), and lqsS (encoding a sensor kinase). LqsA is a pyridoxal-5′-phosphate-dependent enzyme that catalyses the production of the signaling molecule 3-hydroxypentadecane-4-one (LAI-1; Legionella autoinduer-1), a novel member of α-hydroxyketone signalling molecules (Spirig et al., 2008). In this comprehensive and long-termed project, our initial objectives were; generating competent E. coli cells in which we are planning to clone lqs gene locus (the gene locus responsible for quorum sensing mechanism in Legionella pneumophila), and optimizing transformation procedures. pNT-1 (Tiaden et al., 2007), a pUCBM20-derivative, bearing full lqs gene cluster, and pTS-2 (Spirig et al., 2008), a pMMB207C-derivative expression vector, bearing LqsA gene were kindly provided by Prof. Dr. Hubert Hilbi.</p>
-
    <p> Prof. Dr. Feride iffet &#350;ahin had her M.D. degree from Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul University. She holds her Ph.D. degree in Medical Biology and Genetics from Gazi University Department of Medical Biology and Genetics. She continued her studies at the Department of Medical Oncology, St.Bartholomew&rsquo;s Hospital, Imperial Cancer Research Fund, London as a visiting scientist. She worked as an assistant professor at the Department of Medical Biology and Genetics, Gazi University till 2002. She received her associate professorship degree in 2000. In 2002, she began her work in the Department of Medical Biology and Genetics as the Head of the Department, Ba&#351;kent University, and in 2004 she became the Head of the Department of Medical Genetics. She held her professorship in 2007. She continues her work as the Head of Department of Medical Genetics, and Department of Medical Biology. </p>
+
 
-
     <p> Her main research interests are hematological malignancies and solid tumors. In particular, her recent projects are focused on determination of molecular mechanisms of genetic and sporadic pathologies by integrating new technologies such as microarray technology. Moreover, she is the principal investigator of many projects of the Institute of Transplantation and Gene Sciences which are mainly focused on agricultural biochemistry and biotechnology, genotoxicological studies in agriculture, and anticarcinogenic, antioxidant and antibacterial properties of extracts of endemic plant species. Her technical background covers many basic and new methodologies in molecular genetics, cytogenetics, and animal cell culture. </p>
+
     <p>Initially, E. coli competent cell groups (JM109, DH5α and XL1-Blue) were formed by exerting calcium chloride precipitation. pNT-1 and pTS-2 were transferred into competent E. coli cells using heat shock transformation method, and clones were selected with ampicillin and chloramphenicol, respectively. Plasmid isolations were performed from transformants by QIAprep Spin Miniprep Kit (Qiagen), and visualized by agarose gel electrophoresis. Our recent studies are designing our construct with BioBricks, and amplifying LqsR and LqsSby gene specific primers having restriction enzyme cut sites as small adaptors. We are going to clone these genes by digesting with these restriction enzymes followed by ligation to one of the iGEM vectors. After cloning these genes, we are planning to clone anti-Legionella peptide nucleotide sequence under lqs control. In order to check response of transformant E. coli we are planning to clone pTS-2 to BL21(DE3) E. coli for the constitutive expression and production of the LAI-1 without the handling of the pathogen strains in our laboratory.</p>
-
     <p> S he has published over 100 research and review articles in national and international peer-reviewed journals, and wrote 7 book chapters, presented over 120 studies in international and national congresses, and took many awards and scholarships for her studies. Her articles have been cited several times by many reports published in peer-reviewed journals
+
 
 +
     <p>By the end of our experiments, we aim to obtain sensor E. coli cells which respond to Legionella pneumophila quorum sensing by recognizing LAI-1. Our expression construct will also enable production of the anti-Legionella peptide in response to LAI-1. Since the peptide has specific antibacterial activity on Legionella spp., the achievement of the project is the destruction of Legionella pneumophila by transformant E. coli sensor cells.

Revision as of 04:04, 1 August 2013

Baskent_Meds IGEMwiki



Transformation of Escherichia coli In Order To Develop Legionella pneumophila Sensing Bacteria

Our aim, as the team “Baskent_Meds”, is developing bacteria which can recognize Legionella pneumophila specifically at species level by legionella quorum sensing (lqs), and respond to that recognition by producing anti-Legionella peptide which is produced by someStaphylococcus strains. lqs gene locus is responsible for quorum sensing mechanism in Legionella pneumophila. On the lqs locus there are three genes; lqsA (encoding autoinducer synthase), lqsR (encoding response regulator), and lqsS (encoding a sensor kinase). LqsA is a pyridoxal-5′-phosphate-dependent enzyme that catalyses the production of the signaling molecule 3-hydroxypentadecane-4-one (LAI-1; Legionella autoinduer-1), a novel member of α-hydroxyketone signalling molecules (Spirig et al., 2008). In this comprehensive and long-termed project, our initial objectives were; generating competent E. coli cells in which we are planning to clone lqs gene locus (the gene locus responsible for quorum sensing mechanism in Legionella pneumophila), and optimizing transformation procedures. pNT-1 (Tiaden et al., 2007), a pUCBM20-derivative, bearing full lqs gene cluster, and pTS-2 (Spirig et al., 2008), a pMMB207C-derivative expression vector, bearing LqsA gene were kindly provided by Prof. Dr. Hubert Hilbi.

Initially, E. coli competent cell groups (JM109, DH5α and XL1-Blue) were formed by exerting calcium chloride precipitation. pNT-1 and pTS-2 were transferred into competent E. coli cells using heat shock transformation method, and clones were selected with ampicillin and chloramphenicol, respectively. Plasmid isolations were performed from transformants by QIAprep Spin Miniprep Kit (Qiagen), and visualized by agarose gel electrophoresis. Our recent studies are designing our construct with BioBricks, and amplifying LqsR and LqsSby gene specific primers having restriction enzyme cut sites as small adaptors. We are going to clone these genes by digesting with these restriction enzymes followed by ligation to one of the iGEM vectors. After cloning these genes, we are planning to clone anti-Legionella peptide nucleotide sequence under lqs control. In order to check response of transformant E. coli we are planning to clone pTS-2 to BL21(DE3) E. coli for the constitutive expression and production of the LAI-1 without the handling of the pathogen strains in our laboratory.

By the end of our experiments, we aim to obtain sensor E. coli cells which respond to Legionella pneumophila quorum sensing by recognizing LAI-1. Our expression construct will also enable production of the anti-Legionella peptide in response to LAI-1. Since the peptide has specific antibacterial activity on Legionella spp., the achievement of the project is the destruction of Legionella pneumophila by transformant E. coli sensor cells.