Cloning Desulfovibrio piger Sulfur Reduction Genes into Escherichia coli to Determine Which Gene Combinations Enable Hydrogen Sulfide Production
Faculty Mentor
Andrea Castillo
Presentation Type
Poster
Start Date
4-14-2026 9:00 AM
End Date
4-14-2026 11:00 AM
Location
PUB NCR
Primary Discipline of Presentation
Biology
Abstract
The human gut microbiota plays an essential role in digestion, immune regulation, and intestinal barrier integrity. Disruptions to this community are associated with inflammatory and metabolic diseases. Diets high in sulfur-containing additives promote the growth of sulfur-reducing bacteria (SRB), which produce hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) in the colon. Although H₂S functions in normal epithelial and mitochondrial processes at low levels, excessive H₂S is cytotoxic and has been linked to intestinal inflammation. The SRB, Desulfovibrio piger, is enriched in individuals with inflammatory bowel disease and produces H₂S via a dissimilatory sulfate reduction (DSR) pathway. However, the DSR gene organization in D. piger is unusual, including duplicated operons, and the minimal gene combinations required for H₂S production remain unclear. This project aims to determine which combinations of D. piger DSR genes are sufficient to confer H₂S production in the non-sulfur reducing bacterium Escherichia coli. Putative DSR genes will be amplified from D. piger genomic DNA and cloned into expression plasmids compatible with E. coli. Correct cloning will be confirmed by sequencing, and gene expression will be verified using reverse transcription PCR. Functional H₂S production will be assessed using H₂S indicator media to identify gene combinations that produce an H₂S-positive phenotype. By defining the minimal genetic requirements for microbial H₂S synthesis, this work may inform strategies to limit harmful H₂S production in the gut microbiome.
Recommended Citation
Mbabazi, Organ Beni, "Cloning Desulfovibrio piger Sulfur Reduction Genes into Escherichia coli to Determine Which Gene Combinations Enable Hydrogen Sulfide Production" (2026). 2026 Symposium. 23.
https://dc.ewu.edu/srcw_2026/ps_2026/p1_2026/23
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Cloning Desulfovibrio piger Sulfur Reduction Genes into Escherichia coli to Determine Which Gene Combinations Enable Hydrogen Sulfide Production
PUB NCR
The human gut microbiota plays an essential role in digestion, immune regulation, and intestinal barrier integrity. Disruptions to this community are associated with inflammatory and metabolic diseases. Diets high in sulfur-containing additives promote the growth of sulfur-reducing bacteria (SRB), which produce hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) in the colon. Although H₂S functions in normal epithelial and mitochondrial processes at low levels, excessive H₂S is cytotoxic and has been linked to intestinal inflammation. The SRB, Desulfovibrio piger, is enriched in individuals with inflammatory bowel disease and produces H₂S via a dissimilatory sulfate reduction (DSR) pathway. However, the DSR gene organization in D. piger is unusual, including duplicated operons, and the minimal gene combinations required for H₂S production remain unclear. This project aims to determine which combinations of D. piger DSR genes are sufficient to confer H₂S production in the non-sulfur reducing bacterium Escherichia coli. Putative DSR genes will be amplified from D. piger genomic DNA and cloned into expression plasmids compatible with E. coli. Correct cloning will be confirmed by sequencing, and gene expression will be verified using reverse transcription PCR. Functional H₂S production will be assessed using H₂S indicator media to identify gene combinations that produce an H₂S-positive phenotype. By defining the minimal genetic requirements for microbial H₂S synthesis, this work may inform strategies to limit harmful H₂S production in the gut microbiome.
