30
December 2010 Bacteriophage Infections in Dairy Production
milk fermentation process. Wyatt’s innovative instruments facilitate the study of protein- protein complexes, identifying their potential to serve as inhibitors of bacteriophage infections.
Wyatt Technology has been chosen by the Biological Macromolecules Joint Research Unit of the Université de Provence and Université de la Méditerranée in Marseille, France, for its instruments to characterize lactococcus lactis in order to eliminate bacteriophage infections in dairy production. Bacteriophages are obligate intracellular parasites that multiply inside bacteria, infecting them and causing failures of the
Lactococcus lactis is a Gram-positive bacterium widely used by the dairy industry in the production of yogurt and various cheeses. Several industrial strains are sensitive to distinct virulent bacteriophages, which can infect lactococcus lactis thereby delaying lactic acid production and even stopping the milk fermentation process. As a result, the product’s desired properties are altered or entirely lost. The first step in the infection process is the adsorption of the phage to the bacterial cell. One strategy to minimize bacteriophage infections is to competitively block phage adsorption by adding a protein specifically binding to the phage Receptor Binding Proteins (RBPs, BppL trimer). These proteins, inserted in a large assembly termed baseplate, mediate phages anchoring to their receptors on the host cell surface.
The Biological Macromolecules Joint Research Unit selected three Designed Ankyrin Repeat Proteins (DARPins) binding
to the baseplate of the lactococcal phage. Both mass and stoichiometry of each DARPin were characterized in complex using a combination of Wyatt’s UV 280nm absorbance, Multi-Angle Light Scattering (MALS), Quasi-Elastic Light Scattering (QELS) and refractometry instrumentation, coupled on line with an analytical Size Exclusion Chromatography (SEC) column. The DARPins were found to constitute a potential tool to fight against phage and viral infections in general.
The results of the experiment clearly demonstrated that Wyatt’s instrumentation allows the study of protein-protein complexes by monitoring complex formation and then accurately characterizing the size and stoichiometry of the resulting assembly. The instruments’ unmatched analytical capabilities are illustrated in a new application note, entitled “Lactococcus lactis Complex Characterization”, which is available to download from
www.wyatt.com
For more information on Wyatt Technology’s instruments or to obtain a copy of the new application note, please visit
www.wyatt.com or email
info@wyatt.com
Varian joins the Crawford family
Crawford Scientific is pleased to announce that from 1st November, they will be supplying the complete range of Varian Chromatography Consumables products via their purchase by Agilent Technologies. Crawford Scientific will then become the largest independent official supplier of Varian products in the UK resulting in a wider
range of top quality well established products available for supply to their customer base thus expanding the ways in which they can support clients Chromatography... every step of the way.
Tony Taylor (Technical Director) said – “The addition of the Varian product portfolio represents a significant increase in the ways in which Crawford Scientific can support both existing and new clients to achieve their goals within analytical science more accurately and efficiently. We look forward to working with current and future clients to supply and support such high quality product lines as Bond Elut SPE materials and Chrompack GC columns.”
Further Information may be obtained at
http://www.crawfordscientific.com or copies of the Varian product catalogues may be obtained directly from Crawford Scientific,
enquiries@crawfordscientific.com , Tel 01357 522961 Fax 01357 522168
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48
