Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion (MIC) consists in the deterioration of metallic and nonmetallic materials by microbial activities or their metabolites (1) causing great environmental and economic damages. Sulphate-Reducing Bacteria (SRB), such as Desulfovibrio spp., are mainly responsible for MIC by reducing sulfate to sulfide that is highly corrosive to iron and steel (2). The conventional use of chemical biocides generates detrimental effects on the environment. Therefore, the development of innovative and eco-friendly antimicrobial strategies is highly desirable. Endolysins are enzymes encoded by bacteriophages to lyse the host bacterial cells at the end of the lytic cycle to release phage progeny. Recently, the use of recombinant endolysins as novel therapeutic agents has been successfully studied in response to the emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria, pointing out to a promising alternative to control bacterial growth (3). We intend to apply a similar approach to counteract Desulfovibrio vulgaris growth and, consequently, mitigate MIC. To this aim the gene sequence of two D. vulgaris bacteriophage-derived endolysins was retrieved from NCBI, analyzed by bioinformatic tools, and synthetized within the Escherichia coli expression vector pET21a (Novagen). The Art-175 endolysin, derived from a Pseudomonas aeruginosa phage and described as bactericidal against different gram-negative representative species, was used as model for the experimental design and as internal control (4, 5). Protein expression was induced and investigated by SDS PAGE and Western Blot analyses. Art-175 was correctly induced, purified by affinity chromatography and its in vitro activity against P. aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii was confirmed. Preliminary qualitative experiments suggest a mild activity against D. vulgaris, although the experimental set deserves further optimization. The expression of D. vulgaris specific lysins is still ongoing. If successful, such enzymes could represent a valuable, novel, and green approach to limit the SRB contribution to MIC.
Bacteriophage-derived endolysins as novel strategy against Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion
Scardino A;Ghezzi D;Mangiaterra G;Citterio B;Tasini F;Frangipani E
2022
Abstract
Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion (MIC) consists in the deterioration of metallic and nonmetallic materials by microbial activities or their metabolites (1) causing great environmental and economic damages. Sulphate-Reducing Bacteria (SRB), such as Desulfovibrio spp., are mainly responsible for MIC by reducing sulfate to sulfide that is highly corrosive to iron and steel (2). The conventional use of chemical biocides generates detrimental effects on the environment. Therefore, the development of innovative and eco-friendly antimicrobial strategies is highly desirable. Endolysins are enzymes encoded by bacteriophages to lyse the host bacterial cells at the end of the lytic cycle to release phage progeny. Recently, the use of recombinant endolysins as novel therapeutic agents has been successfully studied in response to the emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria, pointing out to a promising alternative to control bacterial growth (3). We intend to apply a similar approach to counteract Desulfovibrio vulgaris growth and, consequently, mitigate MIC. To this aim the gene sequence of two D. vulgaris bacteriophage-derived endolysins was retrieved from NCBI, analyzed by bioinformatic tools, and synthetized within the Escherichia coli expression vector pET21a (Novagen). The Art-175 endolysin, derived from a Pseudomonas aeruginosa phage and described as bactericidal against different gram-negative representative species, was used as model for the experimental design and as internal control (4, 5). Protein expression was induced and investigated by SDS PAGE and Western Blot analyses. Art-175 was correctly induced, purified by affinity chromatography and its in vitro activity against P. aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii was confirmed. Preliminary qualitative experiments suggest a mild activity against D. vulgaris, although the experimental set deserves further optimization. The expression of D. vulgaris specific lysins is still ongoing. If successful, such enzymes could represent a valuable, novel, and green approach to limit the SRB contribution to MIC.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.