Best Part Collection

Nature is an incredible source of inspiration and has been used to write a vast number of success stories. In fact, many well-established moleculobiological and biochemical methods have been modelled on pathogenicity mechanisms of bacteria whose evolutionary capabilities have facilitated them to survive in almost any conceivable surrounding like the gut.

With our Curli Collection, we provide a highly modular two-component system combining the outstanding stability of Curli Fibers as core part, the essential protein component of bacterial biofilms, and the multifunctional SpyTag-SpyCatcher system which can be further used for immobilization of functional domains with properties on demand.

In the framework of our project, we focused on preventing toxic or unnecessary substances from absorption by the intestinal mucosa. We have supplemented our matrix construct with enzymatic units in order to convert, reduce or detoxify those substances before they can do harm. The design of a SpyCatcher-fusion protein set led to the production of SpyCatcher-GFP enabling the fluorescent detection of SpyTagged Curli nanofibers. In addition to that, we generated SpyCatcher-ADHII for alcohol detoxification. Furthermore, N-terminal fusion of SpyCatcher to D-Galactose/D-Glucose binding protein (GGPB) was meant to take advantage of GGPBs glucose binding ability reducing the natural carbohydrate resorption.

Especially in the field of catalysis, the efficiency of solid phase reactions has reached its limits leading to focus on enzyme-mediated pathways. Providing a stable carrier matrix with modular characteristics with our Curli Collection can facilitate the design of personalized food additives or a diversity of catalytic surfaces.