Team:HKUST

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    <li><a href="http://ihome.ust.hk/~lzhu/website/under%20constuct.html">Team</a></li>
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<div class="ex">
<h1>Abstract</h1><p></p>
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<p>The project aims at establishing an interspecies quorum sensing system in which <em>Lactobacillus plantarum/Lactobacillus sakei </em>can sense and reduce the virulence of <em>Staphylococcus aureus</em>. Many strains of <em>S. aureus</em> are the causative agents of gastroenteritis and are also responsible for the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxic_shock_syndrome">toxic shock syndrome</a>. On the other hand, both <em>L. plantarum</em> and <em>L. sakei</em> are regarded as non-pathogenic mutualistic normal microbes. In this project, we hope to genetically engineer a <em>Lactobacillus</em> strain that can detect the presence of autoinducing peptide (AIP) released by S. aureus and thereby synthesize and secrete RNAIII inhibiting peptide (RIP) to the extracellular environment. This heptapeptide RIP with proven effectiveness to attenuate virulence of <em>S. aureus </em>can then block the pathogenecity of <em>S. aureus </em>infection. </p>
<div style="margin:10px" style="padding:10px"><img align="middle" src="http://ihome.ust.hk/~lzhu/website/QS.png" width="450" /></div>
<p>Such interspecies quorum quenching system  should be viewed as blocking agent of <em>S. aureus</em> pathogenicity.  Since quorum sensing (QS) is a  natural species-specific self regulating mechanism that does not  involve in bacterial growth, neither does it incur any bacteriocidal impact,  inhibition of QS should not yield a strong selective pressure for development  of resistance. Attenuation of <em>S.  aureus </em>virulence by quorum-sensing inhibitors, rather than  bactericidal or bacteriostatic drugs, is therefore a highly attractive concept for  preventive medicine particularly when many antibiotics are usually  ineffective at <em>S. aureus</em>.</p>
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