UMB::IKBM::The Protein Engineering and Proteomics Group

The PEP group's work on lactic acid bacteria

For Norwegians: You will find links to a Norwegian text below.

The Norwegian University of Life Sciences (UMB) has a long tradition in research on lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and so has the Norwegian Institute for Food Research (Matforsk) at Ås campus. Key Ås scientists in the area are Prof. Ingolf Nes, Prof. Sigve Håvarstein, Dr. Lars Axelsson. The PEP group has been collaborating with these key LAB scientists in several projects, primarily projects focused on bacteriocins, gene regulation and gene expression. Generally, we try to focus on the most protein-oriented aspects.

In the past years, we have primarily worked with the development of expression vectors for lactobacilli and the use of these vectors for protein production. Concomitantly, we have conducted a systematic genome-wide study of the efficiency of signal peptides found in the L. plantarum genome. Studies on the link between mRNA levels, as measured by RT-PCR, at protein levels, as measured e.g. as secreted enzyme activity, are underway. Some of the results have been published. Several papers are in preparation.

Very recently, we have taken a broader interest in secretion and, in particular, its result, the secretome. We are using gel-based and non-gel-based proteomics techniques to set up methods for rapid sampling of the secretome, the goal being to study how the secretome adapts to external stimuli, e.gf. those provided by human cells. We are currently only looking at enterococci (but see below), in collaboration with the group of Ingolf Nes, who focusses on the transcriptome.

Currently, the PEP group has three people (post-doc researcher Geir Mathiesen and Ph.D. students Liv Anette Bøhle and Lasse Fredriksen) working on two interrelated protein-oriented aspects of LAB:

Use of LAB, in particular probiotic lactobacilli, as cell factories for (in situ delivery of) biomedical proteins,
fundamental studies of protein secretion and the LAB secretome and of the modulation of the secretome in response to external factors such as the surfaces of human cells.

The work on protein production is currently focussed on cancer vaccines, in a collaborative project with the Norwegian National Cancer Hospital in Oslo (Dr. Mouldy Sioud).

As of 2008, we wil have one – two more persons, who will work on a new ”FUGE” project entitled “Secretomes of lactobacilli and enterococci and their impact on bacterial adaptation and human health”. A detailed description of this project may be found here and will give you a detailed insight into our interests and into our plans for the coming years.

We have memorandums of understanding with large LAB research Centers in Cork and Wageningen and we expect to intensify the collaboration with these centers as a result of the new FUGE project. Our primary contact persons are Dr. Douwe van Sinderen (Cork) and Prof. Michiel Kleerbezem (Wageningen).

For norwegians: Informasjon på norsk, inklusive informasjon om vår forskning på kreftvaksiner.