Acinetobacter baumannii is a gram-negative bacterium that is commonly found in healthcare settings and is known for its ability to cause a variety of infections, including pneumonia, sepsis, and wound infections. A. baumannii is also notorious for its ability to acquire resistance to multiple classes of antibiotics, making it a significant public health threat.

One of the virulence factors produced by A. baumannii is the RTX toxin, which belongs to a family of pore-forming toxins that are secreted by gram-negative bacteria. The RTX toxin is produced by a gene cluster that is present in many A. baumannii strains, and has been implicated in various aspects of the bacterium’s pathogenesis, including immune evasion, tissue destruction, and biofilm formation.

In addition to the RTX toxin, A. baumannii also produces other putative toxins, whose roles in pathogenesis are still being investigated. One of these is the putative toxin ABUW_1207, which is thought to be involved in bacterial motility and adherence to host cells. Another is the putative toxin ABUW_2643, which is believed to play a role in biofilm formation.

Zonular occludens toxin (Zot) is a protein toxin produced by Vibrio cholerae that can disrupt tight junctions between epithelial cells, leading to increased permeability of the intestinal mucosa. While Zot has not been directly implicated in A. baumannii pathogenesis, it is structurally related to the RTX toxin, and may provide insights into the mechanism of action of A. baumannii toxins.

The use of recombinant proteins/cDNA in academic research and therapeutic applications has skyrocketed. However, successful recombinant protein expression in heterologous expression systems depends on various factors, including codon preference, RNA secondary structure, and GC content. 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. Compared to pre-optimization, more experimental results demonstrated that the expression level was dramatically increased, ranging from two to a hundred times depending on the gene.

A cDNA of Acinetobacter baumannii can be used for a variety of applications. It can be used to study the genetic makeup of the bacterium, to identify new proteins associated with the bacterium, and to develop new diagnostic tests. Furthermore, it can be used to generate recombinant antigens for use in vaccine development. By expressing the cDNA of the bacterium in a suitable vector, it is possible to produce large amounts of recombinant antigens that can be used in the production of antibodies that can be used to protect against infection by A. baumannii. Additionally, recombinant antigens can be used as diagnostic antigens in serological tests to detect antibodies against A. baumannii in a patient’s serum.