EAGER: Evolving Multipurpose Biological Magnetic Nanoparticles

1403984Di Carlo磁性纳米粒子已广泛应用于生命科学研究和医学领域。 这种颗粒用于构建生物传感器，以及用于从生理样品中检测重要的免疫细胞或癌细胞。 目前，磁性颗粒必须通过化学过程合成，蛋白质或其他靶向成分通过艰苦的分步过程添加到颗粒表面。 大自然还开发了一种生物矿化磁铁矿的方法，以产生磁性纳米颗粒。 几种？趋磁的？细菌进化到在称为磁小体的专门隔间中产生磁性纳米颗粒链，以帮助地球内部的对齐？的磁场。 这些细菌可能是下一代低成本磁性颗粒的理想工厂，这些磁性颗粒预先涂有医学上有用的蛋白质。 我们将使用微流体工具来施加选择压力，以定向进化具有一系列磁小体特性的趋磁细菌。 我们还将开发技术，从选定的细胞群中分离磁小体，同时保持沉淀的磁铁矿颗粒周围的商业上有用的蛋白质和脂质包膜。 除了用于创建定制和潜在经济的蛋白质涂层纳米粒子用于生物传感，成像和细胞生物学研究外，我们进化菌株中的遗传变化将为生物矿化，囊泡形成和自组装过程提供独特的见解，可用于各种生物系统。

1403984Di CarloMagnetic nanoparticles have been widely used in life science research and medicine. Such particles are used for construction of biosensors, as well as for detection of important immune or cancer cells from physiological samples. Currently, magnetic particles must be synthesized through chemical processes, and proteins or other targeting components are added to particle surfaces through painstaking step-by-step processes. Nature has also developed an approach to biomineralize magnetite to create magnetic nanoparticles. Several species of ?magnetotactic? bacteria evolved to produce chains of magnetic nanoparticles in specialized compartments called magnetosomes that aid in alignment within Earth?s magnetic field. These bacteria may be ideal factories for the next-generation of low cost magnetic particles that are pre-coated with medically useful proteins. We will use microfluidic tools to apply selection pressures for directed evolution of magnetotactic bacteria with a range of magnetosome properties. We will also develop techniques to isolate magnetosomes from the selected cell populations while maintaining the commercially useful protein and lipid envelope surrounding the precipitated magnetite particles. Besides use in creating customized and potentially economical protein-coated nanoparticles for biosensing, imaging, and cell biology research, the genetic changes within our evolved strain will give unique insights into biomineralization, vesicle formation, and self-assembly processes that can be used in a variety of biological systems.