9th Annual WML Academic Symposium

Presenter(s): Scott Hultgren
Title: Genetic Engineering of a Thermophilic Bacteria, G. Thermoglucosidasius, for the Heightened Production of a Reporter Protein: sfGFP
Developed under the guidance of Professor Tim Marks , College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences

Thermophilic bacteria are an underrepresented cohort of organisms within the field of biotechnology. Thermophiles have been at the forefront of interest within the biotechnology community due their potential to deconvolute manufacturing processes. Members of the Geobacillus species are rarely used as whole cell catalysts to produce biomolecules because high-efficiency expression systems are not readily available. Two recently characterized bacteriophages known to infect members of the Geobacillus species have the potential to remedy this issue. Our research attempts to identify bacteriophage promoters from GBK1 and GBK2 that convey heightened production of a sfGFP target when transformed into G. thermoglucosidasius.