Engineering High-Yield Biopolymer Secretion Creates an Extracellular Protein Matrix for Living Materials.

ABSTRACT: The bacterial extracellular matrix forms autonomously, giving rise to complex material properties and multicellular behaviors. Synthetic matrix analogues can replicate these functions but require exogenously added material or have limited programmability. Here, we design a two-strain bacterial system that self-synthesizes and structures a synthetic extracellular matrix of proteins. We engineered Caulobacter crescentus to secrete an extracellular matrix protein composed of an elastin-like polypeptide (ELP) hydrogel fused to supercharged SpyCatcher [SC(-)]. This biopolymer was secreted at levels of 60 mg/liter, an unprecedented level of biomaterial secretion by a native type I secretion apparatus. The ELP domain was swapped with either a cross-linkable variant of ELP or a resilin-like polype

SUBMITTER: Orozco-Hidalgo MT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8546985 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature