Engineered device in E. coli lyses S. aureus at physiological fever temperatures.

Multiple strains of Staphylococcus are resistant to antibiotics, including the well-known methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). We share an engineered plasmid device in Escherichia coli that lyses the disease-causing pathogen, S. aureus. The device was engineered using BioBrick parts obtained from the International Genetically Engineered Machine foundation (iGEM). The cI-blue-lysostaphin device consists of a temperature-sensitive promoter that is activated under physiological fever temperatures above 35°C that drives expression of a blue chromoprotein reporter and mature truncated lysostaphin enzyme. The functioning cI-blue-lysostaphin device was tested for optimal lysis conditions in MM294 and DH5α E. coli chassis and across incubation temperatures ranging from 30-42°C. We conclude that the lysostaphin activity of the cI-blue-lysostaphin device differs between chassis and increases with greater incubation temperature.

Closed Genome Sequence of Yavru, a Novel Arthrobacter globiformis Phage.

We characterized the complete genome sequence of actinobacteriophage Yavru (Siphoviridae), a cluster FE bacteriophage infecting Arthrobacter globiformis NRRL B-2979; it was 89.5% identical to cluster FE phage Whytu, with a capsid width of 50 nm and a tail length of 90 nm. The genome was 15,193 bp in length, with 23 predicted protein-coding genes.