Life Sciences & Biotechnology
Title : | Production of L-asparaginase from North-East Himalayan Hot Spring thermophiles and assessment of its anti-cancerous properties |
Area of research : | Life Sciences & Biotechnology |
Focus area : | Biotechnology, Cancer Research |
Principal Investigator : | Dr. Sayak Das, Assam University, Assam |
Timeline Start Year : | 2024 |
Timeline End Year : | 2026 |
Contact info : | sayak.das@aus.ac.in |
Details
Executive Summary : | Extremophiles are stress loving microbes that can endure inhospitable temperature or desiccation, particularly thermophiles (heat-loving bacteria), are the major source of thermozymes. Because of their thermostability, thermophilic catalysts have become crucial biocatalysts for a variety of contemporary and biotechnological applications. Taq-polymerase from Thermus aquaticus serves as a model for the PCR method, and microbial genetic engineering was developed from it. Thermophilic microorganisms have a significant role in industry and have been used as sources for pharmaceuticals. L-asparaginase has a history of anti-tumor action and is widely used as a chemotherapy treatment for lymphosarcoma and acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. The activity of the L-asparaginase enzyme has only been examined in a very small number of thermophilic microorganisms. The L-asparaginase enzyme activity of one bacterium and two archaea, namely Thermus thermophilus, Pyrococcus furiosus, and Pyrococcus yayanosii, has so far been studied. In contrast to archaea and mesophiles, using thermophilic bacteria has a number of benefits, including the fact that they are easier to cultivate. b) With regard to mesophiles, the enzymes have a high thermostability. c) Research has also demonstrated that thermophilic bacteria can sustain greater enzyme activity over extended periods of storage than mesophilic candidates. d) The risk of contamination when using thermophilic bacteria is extremely low. As a result, thermophilic bacteria are good candidates for research on L-asparaginase enzymes. The thermophilic bacteria of the genus Geobacillus will be the primary focus of the current investigation. Geobacillus have been reported to live primarily in hot springs and to be active in the L-asparaginase enzyme. As these bacteria are easy to cultivate and since there is little information on L-asparaginase enzymes, studying Geobacillus species for them would be a novel study. The L-asparaginase genes from Geobacillus species will also be cloned in this work and transformed in two host bacteria, including Bacillus licheniformis and E. coli, which has already been used in industrial applications. The microbiological diversity of the hot springs in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, which are located in the north-east Himalayas, is very poorly understood. By employing both culture dependent and culture independent methodologies, this study intends to define and examine the bacterial diversity of diverse hot springs in the North-East Himalayas of India. Moreover, L-asparaginase will be purified, expressed, and cloned from a variety of thermophilic species. L-asparaginase from various chosen isolates will also be used in anti-tumor applications. Moreover, L-asparaginase genes will be cloned and expressed in suitable hosts, enabling the enzyme to be produced and expressed at larger levels. Finding new microorganisms and biocatalysts with improved anti-tumor capabilities may benefit from this. |
Total Budget (INR): | 27,58,110 |
Organizations involved
Implementing Agency : | Assam University, Assam Funding Agency : | ANRF/SERB
| Source : | Anusandhan National Research Foundation/Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), DST 2023-24 | |
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