EAGER: Bacteriophage-nanomaterial interactions in the environment-a totally unexplored research area
Engineered nanoparticles are used in many consumer and industrial products and, eventually released into the environment through different mechanisms. Understanding the fate and transport of metal and metal oxide nanoparticles has been the focus of numerous studies over the past one decade. Efforts now also include understanding the interactions of nanoparticles with biota at different levels. Biocompatibility and antimicrobial activity of nanoparticles have been studied widely in context of selected bacteria. In natural and engineered systems, along with prokaryotes, other tiny entities known as bacteriophages also exist. Bacteriophages are viruses that infect bacteria only through their well-known lytic and lysogenic cycles. However, nothing is known about the effect of engineered nanoparticles on bacteriophages. The overarching goal of this Early Grant for Exploratory Research (EAGER) project is to understand the effect of silver and titanium nanoparticles on the infectivity of bacteriophages. The project will use lytic phages specific for antibiotic resistant bacteria and will study the effect of silver and titanium nanoparticles on plaque formation, oxidation of protein coat forming the body of bacteriophages and attachment of nanoparticles to phage particles.
The project has three distinct objectives; (1) Evaluate the interactions of silver and titanium NPs with bacteriophages isolated from natural ecosystems using microscopic techniques, (2) evaluate the infectivity of lytic phages specific to pathogenic antibiotic-resistant bacteria after these lytic phages are exposed to different types of NPs and, (3) formulate a mechanistic understanding using molecular modeling.
The results from this innovative research will establish a platform for advancing scientific knowledge in the area of nanoparticle-phage interactions. In addition, the outcomes of the proposed research will impact other disciplines such as environmental microbiology, aquatic toxicology and environmental nanoscience and engineering. For example, the results from this research may guide phage mediated drug delivery systems and enable more holistic approached for drug therapies to be developed. Also, sustainable approaches for environmental protection can also emanate from the results of this project if successful. In the area of science education, the PI will: 1) integrate findings in his graduate and undergraduate courses, (2) incorporate this novel topic into an ongoing high school summer program in order to enhance high school laboratory research and (3) disseminate findings through conferences and peer reviewed journal articles.
