Research

Recombinant proteins in Priestia megaterium (formerly Bacillus megaterium) and other Bacillus sp.

There are many reasons to apply Priestia megaterium (formerly Bacillus megaterium) for the production of recombinant proteins in biotechnological processes. In contrast to Escherichia coli it does not produce any endotoxins and can metabolize various cheap carbon sources. Recombinant plasmids are stably maintained. Moreover, P. megaterium shows only low activity of extracellular proteases. Consequently, many recombinantly produced secretory proteins exhibit an excellent stability.
One general aim of our project is to make P. megaterium - by upgrading the vector system and by using the sequence of the genome - an alternative tool for a broad utilization in research and industry. For this we construct optimized expression vectors for the production of recombinant intracellular and extracellular proteins, i. e. different signal peptides, different affinity tags for protein purification, coexpression of certain genes, coproduction of tRNAs. These plasmid systems are commerciallized by MoBiTec GmbH (Göttingen) since 2005. Further on we use metabolic engineering to optimize the recombinant production and secretion process of proteins.

Recombinant production of ß-lactoglobulin

ß-lactoglobulin is the most abundant whey protein in bovine milk. It functions as a globular transport protein and, in its purified form, finds wide applicability as a gelling, foaming and emulsifying agent, as a drug carrier in medicine or in recombinant dairy products. Within the DFG-funded priority program SPP1934 "Dispersity, structure and phase changes of proteins and biological agglomerates in biotechnological processes" we are working on the recombinant production of variants of ß-lactoglobulin. In this project, we cooperate very closely with the Institute of Biochemical Engineering.

ProLAB - Project Laboratory across Borders

In the new project "ProLAB - Project Laboratory across Borders", funded by the VolkswarenStiftung, we would like to conduct cross-disciplinary research at the interface of life sciences, natural sciences and engineering with the aim of expanding our own expertise with solid knowledge of the partner disciplines. To this end, scientists from the life sciences and electrical engineering will work together on various joint issues related to bioelectrical sensor technology.