Engineered bacteria with genetic circuits accumulating nanomagnets as MRI contrast agents

Date
2022-01-25
Advisor
Instructor
Source Title
Small
Print ISSN
1613-6810
Electronic ISSN
613-6829
Publisher
Wiley
Volume
18
Issue
26
Pages
2200537-1 - 2200537-11
Language
English
Type
Article
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Abstract

The demand for highly efficient cancer diagnostic tools increases alongside the high cancer incidence nowadays. Moreover, there is an imperative need for novel cancer treatment therapies that lack the side effects of conventional treatment options. Developments in this aspect employ magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) for biomedical applications due to their stability, biocompatibility, and magnetic properties. Certain organisms, including many bacteria, can synthesize magnetic nanocrystals, which help their spatial orientation and survival by sensing the earth's geomagnetic field. This work aims to convert Escherichia coli to accumulate magnetite, which can further be coupled with drug delivery modules. The authors design magnetite accumulating bacterial machines using genetic circuitries hiring Mms6 with iron-binding activity and essential in magnetite crystal formation. The work demonstrates that the combinatorial effect of Mms6 with ferroxidase, iron transporter protein, and material binding peptide enhances the paramagnetic behavior of the cells in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measurements. Cellular machines are also engineered to display Mms6 peptide on the cell surface via an autotransporter protein that shows augmented MRI performance. The findings are promising for endowing a probiotic bacterium, able to accumulate magnetite intracellularly or extracellularly, serving as a theranostics agent for cancer diagnostics via MRI scanning and hyperthermia treatment. © 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.

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Other identifiers
Book Title
Keywords
Genetic circuits, Iron oxide nanoparticles, Magnetic bacteria, Magnetic resonance imaging contrast agents, Nanomagnets, Synthetic biology
Citation
Published Version (Please cite this version)