Discipline: Biological Sciences
Subcategory: Microbiology/Immunology/Virology
Session: 2
Room: Exhibit Hall A
Sanjeev Gurshaney - University of Central Florida
Co-Author(s): Jessica Thomas, Southern University at New Orleans, New Orleans, LA; Dylan Barber, East Central University, Ada, OK; Jaylah Stanley, Alabama State University, Montgomery AL; Alain Bopda Waffo, Alabama State University, Montgomery AL
Currently, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) show major promise for therapeutic use. AuNPs have unique physical and chemical properties make them promising candidates as vehicles for targeted drug delivery. They have also been used as molecular nanoprobes for enhanced clinical diagnosis. However, their functionality is severely limited by their tendency to aggregate in vivo. This aggregation renders AuNPs heavily susceptible for removal by the immune system, and therefore decreases their efficiency in any AuNP induced treatment. Hoping to overcome this, we expositioned various gold-binding peptides (nano-tags) on the surface of Qβ Coliphage to develop a diverse peptide library. Displayed nano-tags can then bind to AuNPs to create a novel phage-nanoparticle complex that will alleviate the aggregation in vivo. We began our study by cloning and developing Qβ plasmids with various genes coding for strong material-binding peptides at the end of the A1 gene. Appropriate recombinant plasmids were screened with restriction analysis. The positive clones were then used to transform E. coli Hb 101. Hybrid phages were tested using the E. coli Q13 host. Serial dilutions of hybrid Qβ Coliphages were used for infection and a plaque assay was done to determine phage titer and analyze phage morphology. After phage precipitation, RT-PCR and Western Blotting will be used to assess phage display of AuNP nano-tags. Finally, we plan to use binding assays and biopanning techniques to confirm the nanoparticle-phage complex and select nanotags with the highest affinity for AuNPs. In conclusion, we have developed a system that can potentially be used for highly specific nanoparticle-induced therapy. Future directions for this study include utilizing our diverse peptide library to further investigate the chemical interactions between AuNPs and their nanotags, along with developing possible methods to address toxicity of gold in vivo. This work was supported by US Dept. of Education. The Minority Science and Engineering Improvement Program (MSEIP) (P120A150008) to Dr. Komal Vig (PD)
Funder Acknowledgement(s): US Dept. of Education-The Minority Science and Engineering Improvement Program (MSEIP) (P120A150008) to Dr. Komal Vig (PD) ; NSF-CREST (HRD-1241701) to Dr. Shree R. Singh (PI).
Faculty Advisor: Alain Bopda Waffo, abopdawaffo@alasu.edu
Role: I conducted all of the experiments, analysed the data, and summarized the findings.