Team:Dalhousie Halifax NS

Home

Team

Project

Anthocyanins

Papers

Blueberries

Sponsors

Contact

A BLUE E. COLI IS A HAPPY E. COLI

ANTHOCYANINS

A class of pigmented (blue, red and purple) compounds which are members of the flavonoid group of phytochemicals, possessing aromatics structures with bioactive properties. They are produced through a complex biochemical pathway involving the actions of multiple enzymes, as seen in Figure 1. The initial substrate of this pathway is phenylalanine, which is a common amino acid utilized by all living organisms. Some natural sources of anthocyanins include honey, fruits and vegetables, nuts, cocoa and olive oil.

Anthocyanin compounds are free radical scavengers which sequester harmful reactive oxygen species, thereby acting as antioxidants. Anthocyanins provide a variety of physiological benefits to humans. Some such benefits include:
• Prevention of DNA cleavage
• Regulation of the immune system
• Prevention of cardiovascular disease, cognitive decline and cancer
• Enhanced visual acuity
• Regulation of lipid degradation

THE OBJECTIVE

The mass production of anthocyanin compounds may have significant implications in the treatment and prevention of a large number of diseases and disorders. Therefore the goal of this project is to produce a recombinant strain of Escherichia coli which is capable of expressing the anthocyanin biosynthetic pathway. This will lead to the visualization of a blue phenotype when the strain is cultured. This project is modelled on a previous application of synthetic biology involving the expression of the lycopene pathway in E.coli by Klein-Marcuschamer et al (2007).

REFERENCES

Klein-Marcuschamer, D., Kumaran Ajikumar, P., & Stephanopoulos, G. (2007). Engineering microbial cell factories for the biosynthesis of isoprenoid molecules: Beyond lycopene. Trends in Biotechnology, 25(9). 417-424. doi:10.1016/j.tibtech.2007.07.006
Lila, M.A. (2004). Anthocyanins and human health: An in vitro investigative approach. Journal of Biomedicine and Biotechnology, 2004(5). 306-313. doi: 10.1155/S111072430440401X