Phage display-selected peptides for binding and synthesis of nanoparticles: ZnO as an example

Nanoparticles of metal oxides are widely used in bionanotechnology, particularly in bio-medical applications; e.g., construction of biosensors, separation of biological materials, molecular imaging, and anticancer and antimicrobial therapies. However, synthesis of these nanoparticles using physico-chemical methods is problematic, because such procedures require high-temperature processes and harsh chemical treatments. The use of peptides specifically binding particular nanoparticles or nanostructures and facilitating their synthesis appears to be an encouraging alternative. Specific peptides capable of such reactions may be identified with the use of the phage display method. In this mini-review, zinc oxide is discussed as an exemple material whose nanoparticles can be bound and synthesized by such peptides exposed on the surface of bacteriophage capsids. An analysis of reports on studies into methods of peptide-aided synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles has indicated that, despite the encouraging results obtained so far, further studies are necessary to optimize such procedures. This may also be true for nanoparticles of other materials, particularly metal oxides

Complete Annotated Genome Sequences of Four Klebsiella pneumoniae Phages Isolated from Sewage in Poland

Four lytic phages, vB_KpnP_BIS33, vB_KpnP_IL33, and vB_KpnP_PRA33 of the Podoviridae family and vB_KpnM_BIS47 of the Myoviridae family, which act against animal-pathogenic Klebsiella pneumoniae strains, were isolated from sewage plants in Poland. They possess double-stranded DNA genomes of 41,697 bp, 41,335 bp, 40,605 bp, and 147,443 bp, respectively

Draft Genome Sequence of Shewanella baltica M1 Isolated from Brackish Surface Water of the Gulf of Gdańsk

Here, we present the 5.168-Mbp draft genome sequence of Shewanella baltica M1, the first Shewanella strain from the Gulf of Gdańsk to have its genome sequenced and annotated. The availability of the genome sequence of strain M1 will promote further global analyses of bacterial stress responses in the unique Gulf of Gdan´ sk ecosystem

Bacteriophage T4 can produce progeny virions in extremely slowly growing Escherichia coli host: comparison of a mathematical model with the experimental data

Development of bacteriophage T4 depends on the physiological state of its host cell. Based on previous studies performed under laboratory conditions with different media determining various growth rates of Escherichia coli, a mathematical model was developed which suggested that phage T4 development cannot proceed efficiently in bacteria growing with a doubling time longer than 160 min. Contrary to this prediction, using a chemostat culture system allowing for culturing E. coli at different growth rates without changes in the medium composition, we found that T4 can yield progeny in host cells growing with a doubling time as long as 21 h. Our results indicate that the actual limiting growth rate of the host culture for the development of phage T4 is about 0.033 h(-1) , corresponding to the doubling time of about 21 h

Novel ZnO-binding peptides obtained by the screening of a phage display peptide library

Zinc oxide (ZnO) is a semiconductor compound with a potential for wide use in various applications, including biomaterials and biosensors, particularly as nanoparticles (the size range of ZnO nanoparticles is from 2 to 100 nm, with an average of about 35 nm). Here, we report isolation of novel ZnO-binding peptides, by screening of a phage display library. Interestingly, amino acid sequences of the ZnO-binding peptides reported in this paper and those described previously are significantly different. This suggests that there is a high variability in sequences of peptides which can bind particular inorganic molecules, indicating that different approaches may lead to discovery of different peptides of generally the same activity (e.g., binding of ZnO) but having various detailed properties, perhaps crucial under specific conditions of different applications

Proteomic profiles and kinetics of 1 development of bacteriophage T4 and its rI and rIII mutants in slowly growing Escherichia coli

Bacteriophage T4 survival in its natural environment requires adjustment of phage development to the slow bacterial growth rate or the initiation of mechanisms of pseudolysogeny or lysis inhibition (LIN). While phage-encoded RI and probably RIII proteins seem to be crucial players in pseudolysogeny and LIN phenomena, the identity of proteins involved in regulation of T4 development in slowly growing bacteria has remained unknown. In this work, using a chemostat system, we studied the development of wild-type T4 (T4wt) and its rI (T4rI) and rIII (T4rIII) mutants in slowly growing bacteria, where T4 initiated neither LIN nor pseudolysogeny. We determined eclipse periods, phage propagation times, latent periods and burst sizes of T4wt, T4rI and T4rIII. We also compared intracellular proteomes of slowly growing Escherichia coli infected with either T4wt or the mutants. Using 2-D PAGE analyses we found 18 differentially expressed proteins from lysates of infected cells. Proteins whose amounts were different in cells harboring T4wt and the mutants are involved in processes of replication, phage-host interactions or they constitute virion components. Our data indicate that functional RI and RIII proteins - apart from their already known roles in LIN and pseudolysogeny - are also necessary for the regulation of development of phage T4 in slowly growing bacteria. This regulation may be more complicated than previously anticipated, with many players influencing T4 development in its natural habitat

Draft Genome Sequence of Flavobacterium sp. 316, a Baltic Sea Isolate Exhibiting a High Level of Resistance to Marine Stress Conditions

Here, we present the draft genome sequence of Flavobacterium sp. 316, isolated from brackish water of the Gulf of Gdansk, southern Baltic Sea. The assembly contains 3,971,755 bp in 17 scaffolds. The sequence will facilitate postgenomic studies on bacterial stress responses in the challenging habitat of the Baltic Sea

Phage-Directed Synthesis of Photoluminescent Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles under Benign Conditions

Biological systems, especially bacteriophages and peptides, are an attractive green alternative to other known methods of nanoparticle synthesis. In this work, for the first time, bacteriophages were employed to synthesize a specific peptide, capable of producing nanoparticles (NPs). Derivatives of M13 bacteriophage exposing a ZnO-binding peptide (TMGANLGLKWPV) on either pIII or pVIII phage coat protein were constructed and used as a biotemplate. The exposition of the ZnO-binding peptide, synthesized by phages during their propagation in bacteria, on M13 virions provided a groundwork for growing ZnO nanostructures. Depending on the recombinant phage type used (M13-pIII-ZnO or M13-pVIII-ZnO), well separated ZnO NPs or complex 3D structures of ZnO NPs of ca. 20-40 nm were synthesized at room temperature. The synthesized ZnO nanoparticles served as a luminescent material that emitted light near the short wavelength end of the visible region (at ca. 400 nm). The next very low intensity emission band at 530 nm demonstrated that the ZnO material obtained is characterized by a low concentration of surface defect

Bacteriophages as Factories for Eu2O3 Nanoparticle Synthesis

The use of phage display to identify peptides with an ability to bind and synthesize Eu2O3 nanoparticles is demonstrated in this report. This is the first report of modified phages specifically binding a lanthanide. The peptides exposed on virions revealed very strong binding to Eu2O3 nanoparticles and the ability to catalyze Eu2O3 nanoparticles' formation from Eu(OH)3 and Eu(NO3)3 solutions. The luminescence emission spectrum of Eu3+ ions indicated that these ions existed mostly in sites deviated from the inversion symmetry in crystalline Eu2O3 aggregates and gelatinous Eu(OH)3 precipitate. The ability of phage-displayed peptides to catalyze formation of Eu2O3 nanoparticles provides a useful tool for a low-cost and effective synthesis of lanthanide nanoparticles, which serve as attractive biomedical sensors or fluorescent labels, among their other applications