Synthetic biology approaches for engineering diverse bacterial species
Name
1035374704-MIT.pdf
Description
Full printable version
Size
19.44 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
be7a844c6ac3f81770307d0c8c98596b
Author(s)
Brophy, Jennifer Ann Noelani
Advisor(s)
Christopher A. Voigt and Alan D. Grossman.
Date Issued
2016
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
When engineers control gene expression, cells can be re-programmed to create living therapeutics or materials by initiating expression of biosynthetic pathways in response to specific signals. In this thesis, two new genetic tools were developed to aid the construction of genetic circuits and facilitate their delivery to bacteria isolated from diverse environments. First, antisense transcription was explored as a new tool for tuning gene expression in Escherichia coli. Antisense transcription was found to reliably repress gene expression and was applied tune simple genetic circuits. Second, an integrative conjugative element from Bacillus subtilis, ICEBsJ, was engineered to deliver exogenous DNA to diverse strains of undomesticated Gram-positive bacteria. Engineered ICEBsI conjugation was demonstrated in twenty different bacterial strains, spanning sixteen species and five genera. To demonstrate ICE's utility in creating new probiotics, the element was used to deliver functional nitrogen fixation pathways (nif clusters) to bacteria isolated from agricultural soils. Collectively, the tools presented here in provide a platform for programing bacteria from diverse environments for advanced applications.
Description
Thesis: Ph. D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Biological Engineering, June 2016.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. "May 2016."
Includes bibliographical references (pages 113-134).
Subjects
Biological Engineering.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Biological Engineering
Terms of Use
MIT theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed, downloaded, or printed from this source but further reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission.
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