Poster abstracts
Poster number 116 submitted by Teresa Zimmerman
Antimicrobial Peptides that Target RNA: Applied in a Flexible Laboratory Curriculum for Educating Interdisciplinary Scientists
Teresa A. Zimmerman (Department of Chemistry, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI), Rabiul Islam (Department of Chemistry, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI), Christine S. Chow (Department of Chemistry, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI)
Abstract:
Highly skilled and interdisciplinary scientists with a strong background in wet and dry laboratory techniques are increasingly in demand. The techniques are often taught separately with the class curriculum focusing on behind the bench, wet techniques, or computational, dry techniques. This approach creates a gap in application from one technique to another. We have developed a combinational laboratory curriculum that applies bioinformatic analysis to molecular biology techniques while allowing students to address issues such as antibiotic resistance and RNA targeting. This curriculum focuses on the proline-rich antimicrobial peptide oncocin but can be applied to other antimicrobial peptides. Students are introduced to software and online resources that aid in primer design for cloning experiments. Using non-template PCR provides a cost-effective protocol that allows students to design their own derivative of a naturally occurring antimicrobial peptide, which will be coded for in their primers. The antimicrobial activities of the designed peptides are then tested in vivo to determine bacterial killing efficiency. Using derivatives of natural products that have a known target such as rRNA opens the door to other bioinformatic analyses such as multiple sequence alignments (MSA) and computational methods such as docking. As an example, oncocin binds to the bacterial ribosome to prevent translation; an MSA of different bacterial species was performed to determine the percent conservation of the RNA binding domain. Simulated docking studies can aid in improving oncocin derivatives for increased antimicrobial activity. Our curriculum design allows educators to offer some aspects of the laboratory class remotely and allows flexibility in the schedule if unforeseen circumstances arise.
References:
1. Muthunayake, N. S.; Islam, R.; Inutan, E. D.; Colangelo, W.; Trimpin, S.; Cunningham, P. R.; Chow, C. S., Expression and In Vivo Characterization of the Antimicrobial Peptide Oncocin and Variants Binding to Ribosomes. Biochemistry 2020, 59 (36), 3380-3391.
Keywords: antibiotics, bioinformatics, interdisciplinary