Is Two Better Than One? Comparing Expression of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Pseudomonas putida in the Presence of Alternate Sulfur Sources

Faculty Mentor

Benjamin R. Lundgren

Presentation Type

Poster

Start Date

5-8-2024 9:00 AM

End Date

5-8-2024 10:45 AM

Location

PUB NCR

Primary Discipline of Presentation

Chemistry and Biochemistry

Abstract

As the fifth most abundant element on earth, sulfur is naturally occurring and widely distributed throughout the environment. This element is required for the survival of bacteria but is not often available in a ready-to-use source. As there are many different forms of sulfur compounds, the bacteria must have the ability to convert them into a usable energy source to thrive. Their ability to process these sulfur compounds comes from the protein SfnR which regulates gene expression in response to sulfur starvation. Among Pseudomonads, two species were observed, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, with two SfnR proteins, and Pseudomonas putida with only one. P. aeruginosa is a multi-drug resistant pathogen and highly versatile. The pathogen is often found to cause illnesses, such as pneumonia, in immunocompromised individuals. The study's goal was to determine if the SfnR1-SfnR2 system of P. aeruginosa is advantageous over P. putida. To determine this, the growth rates were measured and compared in non-preferred sulfur environments. The two systems were further compared by setting up a β-galactosidase (LacZ) reporter assay to measure the expression levels of the gene sfnG. The resulting response time of the SfnR1-SfnR2 system of P. aeruginosa can be compared to the SfnR1 system of P. putida. The expected result is that P. aeruginosa’s utilization of nonpreferred sulfur sources will be greater than that of P. putida, due to P. putida’s single SfnR gene systems. Overall, we hope to better understand why P. aeruginosa is highly versatile and aid future studies with our results.

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May 8th, 9:00 AM May 8th, 10:45 AM

Is Two Better Than One? Comparing Expression of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Pseudomonas putida in the Presence of Alternate Sulfur Sources

PUB NCR

As the fifth most abundant element on earth, sulfur is naturally occurring and widely distributed throughout the environment. This element is required for the survival of bacteria but is not often available in a ready-to-use source. As there are many different forms of sulfur compounds, the bacteria must have the ability to convert them into a usable energy source to thrive. Their ability to process these sulfur compounds comes from the protein SfnR which regulates gene expression in response to sulfur starvation. Among Pseudomonads, two species were observed, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, with two SfnR proteins, and Pseudomonas putida with only one. P. aeruginosa is a multi-drug resistant pathogen and highly versatile. The pathogen is often found to cause illnesses, such as pneumonia, in immunocompromised individuals. The study's goal was to determine if the SfnR1-SfnR2 system of P. aeruginosa is advantageous over P. putida. To determine this, the growth rates were measured and compared in non-preferred sulfur environments. The two systems were further compared by setting up a β-galactosidase (LacZ) reporter assay to measure the expression levels of the gene sfnG. The resulting response time of the SfnR1-SfnR2 system of P. aeruginosa can be compared to the SfnR1 system of P. putida. The expected result is that P. aeruginosa’s utilization of nonpreferred sulfur sources will be greater than that of P. putida, due to P. putida’s single SfnR gene systems. Overall, we hope to better understand why P. aeruginosa is highly versatile and aid future studies with our results.