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Scientists Make Glue from Flesh-Eating Bacteria
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Growing up, one of the scariest germs I remember hearing about was flesh-eating bacteria. Everything about its name is frightening. A young child, imagining a small germ eating his or her flesh, would certainly be terrified. I imagined the skin being removed from the victim, and the bacteria escaping to infect new hosts. As I grew older and learned more about bacteria, I became interested in how something so small could cause such widespread damage to something as large as a human. Necrotizing fasciitis, the scientific name for the disease caused by flesh-eating bacteria, was simultaneously disturbing and fascinating. I had a great deal of questions about bacterial infection, and this spurred my interest in biology.

One type of bacteria that causes necrotizing fasciitis in humans is Streptococcus pyogenes. S. pyogenes produces a protein called FbaB that allows it to attach to a host cell. S. pyogenes normally enters the body through a wound, such as an animal bite, scratch, burn, or even surgical incisions. After the bacterium has attached to the host cell, it can then grow and spread, killing body tissue. Skin, fat, and the tissues covering muscles can all be destroyed during the course of the disease. Symptoms generally appear rapidly after infection. The infection may cause the patient to go into shock. If untreated, necrotizing fasciitis can cause gangrene, organ failure, and in almost 25% of cases, may eventually lead to death. Quick treatment after injury and infection is important to ensure recovery.

Being able to utilize organisms for human benefit is the main goal of biotechnology. Even harmful bacteria, such as S. pyogenes, can be manipulated for human use. It is a common theme in biotechnology to use bacteria and viruses for both research and in developing treatments for disease. Human Immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the causative agent of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is a common vector used as a tool in research, and is also a likely candidate for introducing new genes into cells for gene therapy. The modification of ordinarily harmful organisms for use by humans is thus not a novel concept in biotechnology research.

Scientists who study S. pyogenes have discovered a way to make the bacterium beneficial to humans. The FbaB protein, which allows the bacterium to bind to the host cell, has been engineered to act as a molecular “glue”, holding molecules together. The protein was split into two fragments, a large piece and a small piece. The large piece was named “SpyCatcher” and the small piece was named “SpyTag” (Spy is an abbreviation of S. pyogenes). When the pieces are in close proximity, they form tight covalent bonds with each other. Researchers can attach SpyTag to one protein, and SpyCatcher to another protein, to help connect the two molecules together. The interaction between SpyTag and SpyCatcher is incredibly strong, making the connection between the two molecules nearly unbreakable. Besides forming stronger connections, the SpyTag and SpyCatcher system is also more versatile than other technologies used to join proteins, as SpyTag and SpyCatcher can be used to attach two proteins together at any point on the protein. This allows scientists to be able to make many different combinations and conformations of protein constructs.

The SpyTag and SpyCatcher system could potentially be used to detect interactions among molecules in the cell, and how changes in these interactions affect disease. One proposed application of this technology is the detection of circulating tumor cells. Circulating tumor cells are cells that have come off of solid tumors, and are sent via the bloodstream to different parts of the body. Researchers believe that circulating tumor cells are part of the metastasis of tumors, allowing them to colonize remote areas of the body. In fact, circulating breast cancer tumor cells have been recently linked to metastasis to the brain. Using the SpyTag and SpyCatcher system, scientists hope to be able to detect circulating tumor cells in the blood. This would help detect cancer sooner, and it could also help determine early metastasis in patients. Early treatment of the metastatic tumor could result in increased survival. Testing using SpyTag and SpyCatcher would also be less invasive than a biopsy, as only a blood sample would be required from the patient.

References:
http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2013...teria.html

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/scienc...70288.html

http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/necro...c-overview

http://cancer.gov/newscenter/cancerresea...TumorCells
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Scientists Make Glue from Flesh-Eating Bacteria00