Abstract
A bio-inspired membrane made of Pluronic L-121 is produced around Escherichia coli thanks to the simple co-extrusion of bacteria and polymer vesicles. The block copolymer-coated bacteria can withstand various harsh shocks, for example, temperature, pressure, osmolarity, and chemical agents. The polymer membrane also makes the bacteria resistant to enzymatic digestion and enables them to degrade toxic compounds, improving their performance as whole-cell biocatalysts. Moreover, the polymer membrane acts as an anchor layer for the surface modification of the bacteria. Being decorated with α-amylase or lysozyme, the cells are endowed with the ability to digest starch or self-predatory bacteria are created. Thus, without any genetic engineering, the phenotype of encapsulated bacteria is changed as they become sturdier and gain novel metabolic functionalities.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 2303384 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Small |
| Volume | 19 |
| Issue number | 46 |
| Early online date | 14 Jul 2023 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 15 Nov 2023 |
Funding
This project received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Skłodowska‐Curie grant agreement No. 101032493. I.H. acknowledges support from the EU SuperCol Project under grant agreement No. 860914.
Keywords
- membrane functionalization
- single‐cell encapsulation
- block copolymers
- cytoprotection
- membranes