Strategies to Enhance Food Safety: Characterization of Microcins and Bacteriophages

增强食品安全的策略：小菌素和噬菌体的表征

• 批准号: RGPIN-2014-05457
• 负责人: MartinVisscher, Leah
• 金额: $ 2.51万
• 依托单位: The King's University (Edmonton)
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2018
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2018-01-01 至 2019-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=658941
• 关键词: Strategies; Enhance; Food; Safety; Characterization

The ability to control bacterial contamination in food is of extreme significance from both a health and economic perspective. An E. coli O157:H7 outbreak at XL Foods (Brooks, Alberta) in the fall of 2012 resulted in the largest ever food recall in Canada. While no deaths were linked to that outbreak, the economic repercussions were staggering. In 2011, a similar E. coli outbreak in Europe was responsible for thousands of infections and nearly 50 deaths. While food safety is clearly a major global concern, the addition of chemical additives to food is also under scrutiny. There is an increasing desire within the public sector for foods that are more natural and minimally processed. **My research program, with undergraduate students at The King's University College, directly addresses this issue. We are studying how nature controls bacterial populations and adapting these strategies to develop new agents for the biocontrol of food spoilage and pathogenic bacteria. Our research is focused on the following questions: how can naturally produced toxic peptides (microcins) be used to kill pathogenic bacteria, and how can bacteriophages or their proteins be used to selectively eliminate food spoilage bacteria. Our first project involves studying the structure and mode of action of a small protein called microcin N (MccN). MccN is produced naturally by E. coli as a means of self-defence and kills pathogenic strains of E. coli and Salmonella. Specifically, we are studying the three dimensional structure of this compound and exploring how it targets and kills other bacteria, in order to better understand its potential use as a biopreservative. Our second research project is focused on characterizing bacteriophages that kill various strains of Carnobacteria. While these bacteria are not pathogenic, they are associated with spoilage of meat products. By characterizing these phages and their lysin proteins, we will understand their role as biocontrol agents to extend the shelf life of packaged meat and fish products.

从健康和经济的角度来看，控制食品中细菌污染的能力具有极其重要的意义。2012年秋天在XL Foods（布鲁克斯，阿尔伯塔）爆发的大肠杆菌O157:H7导致了加拿大有史以来最大的食品召回。虽然没有死亡与那次爆发有关，但其经济影响是惊人的。2011年，欧洲爆发了一场类似的大肠杆菌疫情，导致数千人感染，近50人死亡。虽然食品安全显然是全球关注的主要问题，但向食品中添加化学添加剂也受到严格审查。在公共部门中，越来越多的人希望食品更天然，加工程度最低。**我的研究项目，在国王大学学院的本科生，直接解决了这个问题。我们正在研究大自然如何控制细菌种群，并利用这些策略开发新的生物防治食品腐败和致病菌的药物。我们的研究主要集中在以下问题上：如何利用天然产生的有毒肽（microcins）杀死致病菌，以及如何利用噬菌体或其蛋白质选择性地消灭食物腐败菌。我们的第一个项目是研究一种叫做微蛋白N （mcn）的小蛋白质的结构和作用方式。mcn是由大肠杆菌自然产生的一种自卫手段，可以杀死大肠杆菌和沙门氏菌的致病性菌株。具体来说，我们正在研究这种化合物的三维结构，并探索它是如何靶向和杀死其他细菌的，以便更好地了解它作为生物防腐剂的潜在用途。我们的第二个研究项目是集中在表征噬菌体，杀死各种类型的肉细菌。虽然这些细菌没有致病性，但它们与肉制品的腐败有关。通过表征这些噬菌体及其溶酶蛋白，我们将了解它们作为生物防治剂的作用，以延长包装肉类和鱼类产品的保质期。