Adapting and Expanding Genetic Toolkits for Industrially and Environmentally Relevant Chassis Organisms: 𝘉𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘴

Author(s):

Monica Chu, Sean Halper, Jimmy Gollihar, Randy Hughes, Jeanet Mante, and Randi M. Pullen

Abstract:

The U.S. Army operates in diverse environments around the world. Sustaining operations requires fortifying our materials and equipping our Warfighters to persist in sometimes austere environments. Microbes live in every ecological niche on the planet and have evolved defenses and biochemical capabilities to survive and thrive. ARL is unlocking the potential of diverse and sometimes novel organisms as new biotechnology chassis organisms for engineering. The collection of genetically tractable microbes serves as a repository for biotechnology endeavors touching upon applications space such as sensing, biomanufacturing, sustainable operations, and assured provisioning. We present the design and validation of a genetic toolkit for 𝘉𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘴, a soil-dwelling, Gram-positive bacterium that is also an important microbial cell factory for biomanufacturing. This organism was selected for further toolkit development based on its genetic tractability, ability to form spores, complete genome annotation, and heavy interest in both environmental and industrial applications.