Engineering Laboratory/Factory-Specific Phage-Resistant Strains Of Escherichia Coli By Mutagenesis And Selection

Abstract

Objective: The phage contamination is always a serious problem during operation of Escherichia coli (E. coli). The present study aims to engineer laboratory/factory phage-resistant strains of E. coli based on mutagenesis and selection.Results: The laboratory or factory derived phage was added into a tube containing mutagenized E. coli, resulted in achieving respective phage-resistant E. coli strain. Interestingly, the resistance spectrum of generated phage-resistant strains was not limited to the phage they encountered, which may make these E. coli mutants more resistant to phage contamination. When operation of a resistant strain at the position where the corresponding phage derived from, the phage contamination was completely prevented. There was no significant difference in heterogeneous protein production between the parental strain and the phage-resistant strains. Importantly, the whole process of mutagenesis and selection only required one day.Conclusions: This practical method for engineering laboratory/factory-specific phage-resistant strains may have great potential in resuming E. coli operation in laboratory and factory when the phage contamination outbreaks.