Claire McGahan

• BSc (Hons) Human Genetics
• An allele replacement mutagenesis system for chromosomal manipulation in Bacillus subtilis.

Bacillus subtilis is a Gram-positive soil bacterium that can associate with plant roots and enhances the growth of certain plants. It is a safe (non-pathogenic) organism that has been used widely in industry for large scale production (e.g. by fermentation) of various products. However, its potential to enhance plant growth has not been fully exploited.  Producing new, improved strains of B. subtilis that might promote plant growth either directly by producing useful products or indirectly by inhibiting other bacteria that are pathogenic (disease causing) for plants, requires an efficient means to manipulate B. subtilis by allele-replacement – that is by constructing deliberately designed mutations in its chromosome.  Current methods for doing this are limited by various technical reasons. A very efficient allele-replacement approach has been used in other Gram-positive bacteria, and it was recently shown that it can also work in B. subtilis, but it needs to be optimised if it is to be useful for ‘routine’ use in B. subtilis. My project aims to investigate this approach in B subtilis and devise an optimised procedure to facilitate further research.

Funding Source: Newcastle University