Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
http://hdl.handle.net/11375/22744
Title: | The air-drying of Escherichia coli reporters in natural polymers and incorporation into simple bioassays |
Authors: | Salvo, Elizabeth |
Advisor: | Brennan, John |
Department: | Chemical Biology |
Keywords: | microbial biosensor;paper-based;air-drying;natural polymers;acacia gum;pullulan |
Publication Date: | 2018 |
Abstract: | Microbial biosensor systems (MBS) are useful for analyte detection owing to their low cost, sensitivity, and selectivity for bioavailable analytes. Due to typically poor shelf-life and sensitivity to external conditions, there are few reports of MBS technology applied to simple analytical devices. The effectiveness of air-drying MBS in natural polymers was investigated as a novel preservation technique. Two colorimetric Escherichia coli MBS, a tetracycline-inducible reporter and an arsenate-inducible reporter, were dried on various substrates yielding novel MBS platforms. In proof-of-concept experiments performed in 96-well microplates, both systems demonstrated responsivity after air-drying in low concentrations of pullulan. However, the MBS were unresponsive following brief storage of 1 week. To improve the preservation of MBS, sensing strips were created by air-drying concentrated acacia gum-based MBS suspensions onto paper. Cells dried on these strips demonstrated responsivity upon solubilization in various tube-based assays. MBS sensing strip responsivity was demonstrated following storage for 6 weeks at 4 °C. Tetracycline-responsive sensing strips also performed well in assays using spiked lake water samples. Air-drying in natural polymers was an effective MBS preservation technique, and allowed for the creation of “mix and read” style assays which were simple, equipment-free and ready-to-use. |
URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/11375/22744 |
Appears in Collections: | Open Access Dissertations and Theses |
Files in This Item:
File | Description | Size | Format | |
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Salvo_Elizabeth_M_2017December_MSc.pdf | 1.28 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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