Development of a Platform for Designing, Production and Purification of Recombinant Cyclic Beta Glucans by Genetic Glycoengeenering

GUIDOLIN L. S.; SOLER BISTUÉ A; CIOCCHINI A. E.; COMERCI D. J

Buenos Aires

Congreso; Reunión Conjunta de Sociedades de Biociencias. LIII Reunión Anual de la Sociedad Argentina de Investigaciones en Bioquímica y Biología Molecular (SAIB).; 2017

Sociedad Argentina de Investigación en Bioquímica y Biología Molecular

Cyclic beta-1,2-glucan (CBG) are ring-shaped bacterial polysaccharides synthesized by Rhizobiaceae and Brucellaceae members. CBG can be purified as complex mixtures of molecules with varying rings size; they can be neutral or decorated with different molecules that confers a negative charge. Due to their particular structure, CBG can be used for drug solubilization and stabilization, enantiomer separation, catalysis, synthesis of nanomaterial and even immunomodulatory properties. Since there is no way to produce CBG by chemical synthesis thus, CBG are still considered a ?natural product? which hampers their potential industrial applications. To circumvent these problems, we have recently developed a technological platform for the standardized production and purification of ?recombinant CBG?. The platform is based on the modular expression of different engineered enzymes involved in CBG synthesis in a specially designed E. coli strain. By means of this technology, we are able to produce homogeneous batches of CBG of different ring sizes and different molecular decorations depending on the chosen enzyme variants. In this way, we can produce CBG ?á la carte? in a simpler, economic and standardized manner suitable for several industrial applications.