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Role of coiled-coil protein encoded by vnz_14450 in polar growth of Streptomyces venezuelae

Melanson, Alexander (2019) MOBY01 20191
Degree Projects in Molecular Biology
Popular Abstract
“The code that guides the Path”

Geosmin is a volatile metabolite that smells like the earthy odorant that is mostly predominant after a heavy rain fall; what produces this intensive surge of geosmin in the air is from the spore producing family streptomycetaceae. Not only do these bacteria produce a scent that most people find pleasant to smell, they also play a key role in modern society. Why these bacteria are so important nowadays is due to its ability to produce other secondary metabolites such as anti- ,fungal, viral, tumoral, as well as anti-hypersensitive (i.e.immunosuppressants). Streptomycetaceae, are the family of bacteria that produce more than 50% of these compounds that are used both medically, as well as in a lab... (More)
“The code that guides the Path”

Geosmin is a volatile metabolite that smells like the earthy odorant that is mostly predominant after a heavy rain fall; what produces this intensive surge of geosmin in the air is from the spore producing family streptomycetaceae. Not only do these bacteria produce a scent that most people find pleasant to smell, they also play a key role in modern society. Why these bacteria are so important nowadays is due to its ability to produce other secondary metabolites such as anti- ,fungal, viral, tumoral, as well as anti-hypersensitive (i.e.immunosuppressants). Streptomycetaceae, are the family of bacteria that produce more than 50% of these compounds that are used both medically, as well as in a lab environment. Henceforth making these bacteria a key part in everyday healthcare when it comes to combating diseases/infections. These metabolites are produced during the growth phases of this bacterial family, all the more reason why it is important to study the growth of the bacterial family Streptomyces. The growth of these bacteria has been a very popular field of study, and furthermore there has been an increase in interest in the last couple of years. To understand how these bacteria grow, it’s of key importance to study the regulatory mechanisms of this bacterial family, specifically the mechanisms that are involved in the control of the phenotype/morphology and cell shape.

It has been known now that streptomycetes grow in an extremely polarised manner, meaning that as the cell grows it has defended zones that control the growth of these bacteria. There are three proteins that are found in the hyphal tip and they are what make up something called the polarisome (fig. 1). The polarisome controls and guides the growth of the hypha, which allows for the them to create a network like growth pattern that is reminiscent of how fungi grow. This network is called “mycelia”, and it’s comprised of two different types of hyphae; ones that spread on the surface and look for food and those that grow upward and becoming spore producers.

What was conducted in this study was to see whether the gene vnz_14450 was connected to the proteins located in the polarisome in streptomyces venezuelae. After conducting numerous different phenotype experiments, no difference in the colony morphology/phenotype could be observed (fig.2), as well no difference in phenotype being observed on the cellular level. In addition to this, there was no difference observed when comparing the growth rate and generation of the different bacterial strains. Inconclusive results were obtained when measuring the tip- extension, using statistical analysis of the data obtained. Last but not least, when testing to see if the gene vnz_14450 could have some possible effect on a specific style of growth called “exploratory growth”, no difference were found, concluding that vnz_14450 isn’t related to “exploratory growth”.

Degree Project in Molecular Biology 30 credits 2019
Department of Biology, Lund University

Advisor: Klas Flärdh (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Melanson, Alexander
supervisor
organization
course
MOBY01 20191
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
language
English
id
8996588
date added to LUP
2019-10-14 11:31:21
date last changed
2019-10-14 11:31:21
@misc{8996588,
  author       = {{Melanson, Alexander}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Role of coiled-coil protein encoded by vnz_14450 in polar growth of Streptomyces venezuelae}},
  year         = {{2019}},
}