This award will support a three-year collaborative project between Professor John B. Luchansky, Department of Food Microbiology and Toxicology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Dr. Gerald W. Tannock, Department of Microbiology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand. The activity takes place under the U.S.-New Zealand Cooperative Science Program. The scientists will study the genetics, biology, and microbial ecology of lactobacilli, microorganisms that play an important role in the food fermentation industry and in animal husbandry. Lactobacilli have been used for centuries for the production of some foods (e.g. certain cheeses) and preservation of others (e.g. some meats). The cooperating scientists in this study plan to utilize modern molecular biological techniques to characterize selected lactobacilli at the molecular genetic level. This is expected ultimately to lead to a greater understanding of the role of these bacilli in food systems and in the gastrointestinal tract of mammals. These efforts should also facilitate the development of novel strains of the organism that could have significant practical applications, including their use as vectors for delivery of biologically active molecules, and as effective agents for protection against targeted pathogenic bacteria. This project brings together complementary research experience and facilities in the two countries. Professor Luchansky has expertise in molecular genetic techniques, and his laboratory maintains equipment and personnel for conducting experiments involving recombinant DNA methodologies of the type required for this research. Dr. Tannock has considerable experience in studying the microbial ecology of lactobacilli that inhabit the gastrointestinal tract of animals, and maintains a novel colony of lactobacillus-free mice that will be very useful for evaluating the efficacy of genetically modified strains of lactobacilli derived in this study. The scientists plan reciprocal visits to each other's laboratory over the course of the project to transfer the technologies each has developed.
