Scientists engineer baker’s yeast to produce penicillin molecules

The synthetic biologists from Imperial College London have re-engineered yeast cells to manufacture the non-ribosomal peptide antibiotic penicillin. In laboratory experiments, they were able to demonstrate that this yeast had antibacterial properties against streptococcus bacteria. The authors of the study, which is published today in the journal Nature Communications, say their new method demonstrates the effectiveness of using this kind of synthetic biology as a route for discovering new antibiotics. This could open up possibilities for using re-engineered yeast cells to develop new forms of antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs from the non-ribosomal peptide family. Non-ribosomal peptides are normally produced by bacteria and fungi, forming the basis of most antibiotics today. Pharma companies have long experimented with non-ribosomal peptides to make conventional antibiotics. The rise of antimicrobial resistance means there is a need to use genetic engineering techniques to find a new range of antibiotics from bacteria and fungi. However, genetically engineering the more exotic fungi and bacteria- the ones likely to have antibacterial properties—is challenging because scientists don’t have the right tools and they are difficult to grow in a lab environment, requiring special conditions. Baker’s yeast on the other hand is easy to genetically engineer. Scientists can simply insert DNA from bacteria and fungi into yeast to carry out experiments, offering a viable new host for antibiotic production research. The rise of synthetic biology methods for yeast will allow researchers to make and test many new gene combinations that could produce a whole new range of new antibiotics. However, the authors are keen to point out that the research is still in its early stages. While this approach does show promise, they have so far produced non-ribosomal peptide antibiotic penicillin in small quantities. More research needs to be done to see if it can be adapted to finding other compounds and to get production up to commercially viable quantities. Dr Tom Ellis, from the Centre for Synthetic Biology at Imperial College London, explains: “Humans have been experimenting with yeast for thousands of years. From brewing beer to getting our bread to rise, and more recently for making compounds like anti-malarial drugs, yeast is the microscopic workhorse behind many processes.See it on Scoop.it, via Viruses and Bioinformatics from Virology.uvic.ca
Scientists engineer baker's yeast to produce penicillin molecules
Source: Viral Bioinformatics