Krunal K. Mehta

Enzyme-Based Listericidal Nanocomposites

Cell lytic enzymes represent an alternative to chemical decontamination or use of antibiotics to kill pathogenic bacteria, such as listeria. A number of phage cell lytic enzymes against listeria have been isolated and possess listericidal activity; however, there has been no attempt to incorporate these enzymes onto surfaces. We report three facile routes for the surface incorporation of the listeria bacteriophage endolysin Ply500: covalent attachment onto FDA approved silica nanoparticles (SNPs), incorporation of SNP-Ply500 conjugates into a thin poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate) film; and affinity binding to edible crosslinked starch nanoparticles via construction of a maltose binding protein fusion. These Ply500 formulations were effective in killing L. innocua (a reduced pathogenic surrogate) at challenges up to 105 CFU/ml both in non-growth sustaining PBS as well as under growth conditions on lettuce. This strategy represents a new route toward achieving highly selective and efficient pathogen decontamination and prevention in public infrastructure.

Biomineralized anisotropic gold microplate-macrophage interactions reveal frustrated phagocytosis-like phenomenon: a novel paclitaxel drug delivery vehicle.

This study reports a facile biomineralization route for gold microplates (GMPs) synthesis using bovine serum albumin (BSA) as a reductant and stabilizing agent. Adding BSA to HAuCl4 solution yields spontaneous versatile anisotropic and partially hollow GMPs upon aging. We hypothesize that the instantaneous protein denaturation at low pH enabled access to serine and threonine hydroxyl, and sulfhydryl groups of BSA, which act as a reductant and stabilizer, respectively. This reaction could be hastened by increasing the temperature well beyond 65 °C. Transmission electron microscopy/X-ray diffraction studies revealed highly crystalline and anisotropic structures (triangle, pentagon, and rectangle). Atomic force microscopy/scanning electron microscopy analyses demonstrated unique morphology of microplates with a partially void core and BSA mineralized edge structure. RAW 264.7 mice peritoneal macrophage-microplate interaction studies using live cell confocal imaging reveal that cells are capable of selectively internalizing smaller GMPs. Large GMPs are preferentially picked with sharp vertices but cannot be internalized and exhibit frustrated phagocytosis-like phenomenon. We explored particle phagocytosis as an actin mediated process that recruits phagosome-like acidic organelles, shown by a lysosensor probe technique. The biocompatible GMPs exhibited ∼70% paclitaxel (PCL) loading and sustained release of PCL, showing antitumor activity with the MCF-7 cell line, and could be a novel drug carrier for breast cancer therapy.

Light-activated porphyrin-based formulations to inactivate bacterial spores.

The objective of this study was to develop porphyrin‐based formulations to inactivate Bacillus spores. We probed the effect of porphyrins alone and in combination with germinants against both Bacillus cereus and Bacillus anthracis spores in the presence of light.

Enzyme‐driven bacillus spore coat degradation leading to spore killing

The bacillus spore coat confers chemical and biological resistance, thereby protecting the core from harsh environments. The primarily protein‐based coat consists of recalcitrant protein crosslinks that endow the coat with such functional protection. Proteases are present in the spore coat, which play a putative role in coat degradation in the environment. However these enzymes are poorly characterized. Nonetheless given the potential for proteases to catalyze coat degradation, we screened 10 commercially available proteases for their ability to degrade the spore coats of B. cereus and B. anthracis. Proteinase K and subtilisin Carlsberg, for B. cereus and B. anthracis spore coats, respectively, led to a morphological change in the otherwise impregnable coat structure, increasing coat permeability towards cortex lytic enzymes such as lysozyme and SleB, thereby initiating germination. Specifically in the presence of lysozyme, proteinase K resulted in 14‐fold faster enzyme induced germination and exhibited significantly shorter lag times, than spores without protease pretreatment. Furthermore, the germinated spores were shown to be vulnerable to a lytic enzyme (PlyPH) resulting in effective spore killing. The spore surface in response to proteolytic degradation was probed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), which provided key insights regarding coat degradation. The extent of coat degradation and spore killing using this enzyme‐based pretreatment approach is similar to traditional, yet far harsher, chemical decoating methods that employ detergents and strong denaturants. Thus the enzymatic route reduces the environmental burden of chemically mediated spore killing, and demonstrates that a mild and environmentally benign biocatalytic spore killing is achievable. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2014;111: 654–663.

Growth inhibition of Mycobacterium smegmatis by mycobacteriophage-derived enzymes.

We report the ability of mycobacteriophage-derived endolysins to inhibit the growth of Mycobacterium smegmatis. We expressed and purified LysB from mycobacteriophage Bxz2 and compared its activity with that of a previously reported LysB from mycobacteriophage Ms6. The esterase activity of Bxz2 LysB with pNP esters was 10-fold higher than that of the previously reported LysB but its lipolytic activity was significantly lower. The presence of surfactant - Tween 80 or Triton X-100 - significantly increased the activity of LysB. Characterization of LysB-treated M. smegmatis cells and LysB-treated purified cell wall by mass spectroscopy confirmed the hydrolytic activity of the enzyme. Both enzymes were equally effective in inhibiting the growth of M. smegmatis, demonstrating their potential as bacteriostatic agents.

Characterization of AmiBA2446, a Novel Bacteriolytic Enzyme Active against Bacillus Species

ABSTRACT There continues to be a need for developing efficient and environmentally friendly treatments for Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax. One emerging approach for inactivation of vegetative B. anthracis is the use of bacteriophage endolysins or lytic enzymes encoded by bacterial genomes (autolysins) with highly evolved specificity toward bacterium-specific peptidoglycan cell walls. In this work, we performed in silico analysis of the genome of Bacillus anthracis strain Ames, using a consensus binding domain amino acid sequence as a probe, and identified a novel lytic enzyme that we termed AmiBA2446. This enzyme exists as a homodimer, as determined by size exclusion studies. It possesses N-acetylmuramoyl-l-alanine amidase activity, as determined from liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analysis of muropeptides released due to the enzymatic digestion of peptidoglycan. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that AmiBA2446 was an autolysin of bacterial origin. We characterized the effects of enzyme concentration and phase of bacterial growth on bactericidal activity and observed close to a 5-log reduction in the viability of cells of Bacillus cereus 4342, a surrogate for B. anthracis. We further tested the bactericidal activity of AmiBA2446 against various Bacillus species and demonstrated significant activity against B. anthracis and B. cereus strains. We also demonstrated activity against B. anthracis spores after pretreatment with germinants. AmiBA2446 enzyme was also stable in solution, retaining its activity after 4 months of storage at room temperature.

Top-Down Versus Bottom-Up Nanoengineering Routes to Design Advanced Oropharmacological Products

Energy intensive and chemical routes predominately govern modern dental material fabrication involving complex physicochemical approaches. Current interest in dental material design is shifting towards biomineralization method and green chemistry synthesis to support oral tissue biocompatibility and oropharmacology. This review article describes the context of biophysical approaches based on development in nanoengineering to design advance nanomaterials for clinical dentistry. We particularly focus on approaches governing surface texture and hierarchical assembly emphasis based on micro-nanoscale tooth anatomy. Further, this article provides an overview about the merit of micro-nanoscale material design techniques exchanging the traditional dental material. In this context, top-down and bottom-up approaches involving biomimetic nanoengineering route, opportunities and challenges are discussed.

Expression of Low Endotoxin 3-O-Sulfotransferase in Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus megaterium

A key enzyme for the biosynthesis and bioengineering of heparin, 3-O-sulfotransferase-1 (3-OST-1), was expressed and purified in Gram-positive Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus megaterium. Western blotting, protein sequence analysis, and enzyme activity measurement confirmed the expression. The enzymatic activity of 3-OST-1 expressed in Bacillus species were found to be similar to those found when expressed in Escherichia coli. The endotoxin level in 3-OST-1 from B. subtilis and B. megaterium were 104–105-fold lower than that of the E. coli-expressed 3-OST-1, which makes the Bacillus expression system of particular interest for the generation of pharmaceutical grade raw heparin from nonanimal sources.

Newly identified bacteriolytic enzymes that target a wide range of clinical isolates of Clostridium difficile.

Clostridium difficile has emerged as a major cause of infectious diarrhea in hospitalized patients, with increasing mortality rate and annual healthcare costs exceeding

Binding domains of Bacillus anthracis phage endolysins recognize cell culture age-related features on the bacterial surface

3 billion. Since C. difficile infections are associated with the use of antibiotics, there is an urgent need to develop treatments that can inactivate the bacterium selectively without affecting commensal microflora. Lytic enzymes from bacteria and bacteriophages show promise as highly selective and effective antimicrobial agents. These enzymes often have a modular structure, consisting of a catalytic domain and a binding domain. In the current work, using consensus catalytic domain and cell‐wall binding domain sequences as probes, we analyzed in silico the genome of C. difficile, as well as phages infecting C. difficile. We identified two genes encoding cell lytic enzymes with possible activity against C. difficile. We cloned the genes in a suitable expression vector, expressed and purified the protein products, and tested enzyme activity in vitro. These newly identified enzymes were found to be active against C. difficile cells in a dose‐dependent manner. We achieved a more than 4‐log reduction in the number of viable bacteria within 5 h of application. Moreover, we found that the enzymes were active against a wide range of C. difficile clinical isolates. We also characterized the biocatalytic mechanism by identifying the specific bonds cleaved by these enzymes within the cell wall peptidoglycan. These results suggest a new approach to combating the growing healthcare problem associated with C. difficile infections. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2016;113: 2568–2576.