Bacillus cereus cDNA and Antigen

Bacillus cereus is a gram-positive, spore-forming bacterium that is widely distributed in the environment. It can cause food poisoning, characterized by symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal cramps. Some strains of B. cereus are also associated with other types of infections, such as wound infections and keratitis. B. cereus is commonly found in soil and can contaminate a variety of foodstuffs, such as rice, pasta, dairy products, and meat. Effective control measures, such as proper food handling and storage, are important to reduce the risk of B. cereus food poisoning.

Bacillus cereus produces a variety of antigens with potential applications in diagnostic and therapeutic fields. Here are some of the most studied Bacillus cereus antigens:

Protective Antigen:
The Protective antigen is a critical component of the anthrax toxin produced by Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax. The Bacillus cereus protective antigen PA-63 shares significant homology with the Bacillus anthracis homolog and could potentially be used as a vaccine candidate against anthrax.

Surface Antigen:
The surface antigen is expressed on the outer surface of Bacillus cereus cells and is involved in various functions such as adherence and host-cell recognition. Due to its unique structure and expression pattern, the surface antigen could be a potential target for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes.

Multiple Banded Antigen:
The multiple banded antigen is a major immunogenic protein produced by Bacillus cereus. It is highly conserved among different strains of Bacillus cereus and could be used as a diagnostic marker.

Cereus Mature Parasite-Infected Erythrocyte Surface Antigen (MESA):
MESA is a surface antigen present on the surface of erythrocytes infected with Plasmodium falciparum, the causative agent of malaria. Interestingly, Bacillus cereus has been found to express a MESA homolog that shares significant structural and functional similarities with the Plasmodium falciparum protein.

Antigen:
Apart from the above-mentioned antigens, Bacillus cereus also produces other antigens that could be explored for their diagnostic or therapeutic potential. For example, the Cereus antigen is a virulence factor that is involved in the pathogenesis of Bacillus cereus infections.

The diverse array of Bacillus cereus antigens provides a rich resource for diagnostic and therapeutic development, and further research is warranted to explore their full potential.

The use of recombinant proteins/cDNA in academic research and therapeutic applications has skyrocketed. However, in heterologous expression systems, successful recombinant protein expression is dependent on a variety of factors, including codon preference, RNA secondary structure, and GC content. When compared to pre-optimization, more and more experimental results demonstrated that the expression level was dramatically increased, ranging from two to hundred times depending on the gene. Bioclone has created a proprietary technology platform that has resulted in the creation of over 6,000 artificially synthesized codon-optimized cDNA clones (cloned in E. coli expression Vector), which are ready for production of the recombinant proteins.