Team:British Columbia/Project DspB

Introduction

Dispersin B (dspB) is an enzyme that degrades biofilms by catalyzing the hydrolysis of poly-ß-(1,6)-linked N-acetylglucosamine bond. These bonds exist as a polymer in the extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) as a polysaccharide adhesin; this adhesin is relevant in biofilm formation and integrity in both Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus epidermidis. According to Lu and Collins (reference paper), dspB effectively cleaves these bonds, thus affecting biofilm formation. Our goal is to isolate dspB from the host Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans and utilize it in concurrence with a phage to effectively eliminate Staphylococcus aureus biofilms.

Approach

Results

Discussion