Discipline: Biological Sciences
Subcategory: Nanoscience
Session: 4
Room: Exhibit Hall A
Mhiret Girma - Alabama A&M University
Co-Author(s): Dr. Qunying Yuan, Alabama A&M University, Normal, AL
In this study, the metallothionein gene of Candia Albicans was assembled by PCR, inserted into pUC19 vector, and further transformed into E.coli DH5α cells. Our previous study showed that these engineered E.coli DH5α cells synthesized more silver nanoparticles and the nanoparticles had a more uniform size and conformation, compared to those produced by DH5α cells transformed with pUC19 vector. Here we further tested the efficiency and capacity of these engineered cells to synthesize other metallic nanoparticles. Our preliminary data suggested that the metallothionein gene transformed by the E.coli DH5α cells were able to synthesize more selenium nanoparticles than DH5α cells transformed with pUC19 vector. The composition and morphology of the nanoparticles will be further characterized using FTIR spectroscopy, SEM and TEM. The capacity of metallothionein gene transformed bacteria to produce other metallic nanoparticles, including gold and platinum, will be tested.
Funder Acknowledgement(s): 1. ASSURE, HBCU-UP Award Number HRD-1436572; 2. DoD/ARO under Grant No. W911NF-18-1-0444
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Qunying Yuan, qunying.yuan@aamu.edu
Role: In this research, I am mainly working with bacterial cells and metallothionein. I have been working with my mentor with close guidance in the process of inoculation, incubation, transforming plasmids, Polymerase chain reaction, and monitoring the cell growth of the bacteria?s, which is manipulated that is further going to synthesize the nanoparticle. The experiment is still taking place, and I am going to analyze further the nanoparticles produced with the help of FTIR and also characterize it using the Scanning electron microscope and scanning transmission electron microscope.