What Secrets do Biological Vesicles Hold?

* Honorable Mention *

PROJECT NUMBER: 24

AUTHOR: Elizabeth Betz, Chemistry | MENTOR: Kim Williams, Chemistry

ABSTRACT

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Lignin is a complex polymer found in plant cell walls that, if broken down, could be a more effective resource to convert lignocellulosic biomass to biofuels. Outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) are spherical nanovesicles released from gram-negative bacteria that possess unique enzymes that can break down aromatic compounds in lignin. Little is known about the physicochemical properties of OMVs and new analytical techniques need to be developed to further understand the size, number, and contents of OMVs and how these properties correlate to their functions. The ability to enumerate Pseudomonas putida OMVs is important to relate the protein and lipid content of each OMV to their efficiency of lignin degradation. Our hypothesis was the number of OMVs present in a sample could be determined by utilizing asymmetric flow field flow fractionation (AF4) and multi-angle light scattering (MALS). AF4 was used to separate polydisperse samples based on particle size and MALS was used to count the number of particles present. This method was first tested on standardized liposomes because of their similar structure to OMVs. With successful method validation of the standardized liposomes, this method is currently being applied to P. putida OMV populations.

VISUAL PRESENTATION

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AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

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Elizabeth (Lizzy) is a sophomore studying biochemistry at Mines. She joined the Williams research group in the chemistry department in fall of 2019 through the Mines Undergraduate Research Fellowship. Her research has focused on applying asymmetric flow field flow fractionation and multi-angle light scattering to count biological vesicles. She is interested in medical science and hopes to pursue a career in pharmaceutical science or epidemiology after graduation.