The Phage-ligand technology is a technology to detect, bind and remove

bacteria Bacteria (; singular: bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one biological cell. They constitute a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria were among ...

and

bacterial toxin Microbial toxins are toxins produced by micro-organisms, including bacteria, fungi, protozoa, dinoflagellates, and viruses. Many microbial toxins promote infection and disease by directly damaging host tissues and by disabling the immune system. ...

s by using highly specific

bacteriophage A bacteriophage (), also known informally as a ''phage'' (), is a duplodnaviria virus that infects and replicates within bacteria and archaea. The term was derived from "bacteria" and the Greek φαγεῖν ('), meaning "to devour". Bacteri ...

derived proteins.

Origins

The host recognition of bacteriophages occur via bacteria-binding proteins that have strong binding affinities to specific protein or

carbohydrate In organic chemistry, a carbohydrate () is a biomolecule consisting of carbon (C), hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O) atoms, usually with a hydrogen–oxygen atom ratio of 2:1 (as in water) and thus with the empirical formula (where ''m'' may or ma ...

structures on the surface of the bacterial host. At the end of the infection life cycle the bacteria-lysing Endolysin is synthesized and degrades the bacterial peptidoglycan

cell wall A cell wall is a structural layer surrounding some types of cells, just outside the cell membrane. It can be tough, flexible, and sometimes rigid. It provides the cell with both structural support and protection, and also acts as a filtering mech ...

, resulting in

lysis Lysis ( ) is the breaking down of the membrane of a cell, often by viral, enzymic, or osmotic (that is, "lytic" ) mechanisms that compromise its integrity. A fluid containing the contents of lysed cells is called a ''lysate''. In molecular bio ...

(and therefore killing) of the bacterial cell.

Applications

Bacteriophage derived proteins are used for detection and removal of bacteria and bacterial components (especially endotoxin contaminations) in pharmaceutical and biological products, human diagnostics, food,Applications of the phage-ligand technology (endotoxin detection, endotoxin removal, food safety testing)
/ref> and decolonization of bacteria causing

nosocomial infections A hospital-acquired infection, also known as a nosocomial infection (from the Greek , meaning "hospital"), is an infection that is acquired in a hospital or other health care facility. To emphasize both hospital and nonhospital settings, it is ...

(e.g. MRSA). Protein modifications allow the

biotechnological Biotechnology is the integration of natural sciences and engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms, cells, parts thereof and molecular analogues for products and services. The term ''biotechnology'' was first used by ...

adaption to specific requirements.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Phage-Ligand Technology Laboratory techniques Molecular biology

Origins

Applications

See also

References