Team:ECUST/test
At a Glance
Motivation:
Development of a selectively permeable cage to encapsulate living bacteria with useful properties.
Approach:
Using the self-assembling properties of Fmoc-FF upon pH-decrease to generate spherical structures.
Achievements:
(I) A robust protocol for Peptidosome formation was established. (II) Bacteria could be encapsulated and were alive and growing inside the Peptidosomes. (III) Reporter strains showed full functionality in Peptidosomes. (IV) Peptidosomes could be functionalized by surface decoration.
Short Description
Peptidosomes are the new fundamental approach for generating and utilizing encapsulated bacteria. By the creation of spherical compartments containing a liquid environment inside, bacteria are still able to grow and fulfill a given task. The mesh-like structure of the sphere allows the selective exchange of compounds via diffusion, but holds the bacteria trapped inside. Therefore, we are able to benefit from the entrapped cells’ abilities, while still ensuring they are not released into their surroundings. Peptidosomes can be further be enhanced by the incorporation of magnetic or biological beads – which themselves can be functionalized with proteins – into their peptide-based fibrillary shell.