Sara Mattson, Graduate Student, Rodriguez Lab, GW Department of Chemistry
Single PCR Mammalian Expression Generated Array Directed Evolution of Biomolecules
Fri, 5 May, 2023
2:00pm - 3:00pm
Sara Mattson, Graduate Student, Rodriguez Lab, GW Department of Chemistry
The Department of Chemistry Presents: Sara Mattson, Graduate Student, Rodriguez Lab, GW Department of Chemistry
Directed evolution engineers biomolecules to treat disease, remove plastic and CO2 from the environment, develop synthetic biological systems, and synthesize complex molecules. Directed evolution accelerates the natural process of evolution by introducing gene mutations followed by a specific selection. During the directed evolution, we create millions-billions of new biomolecules to select desired traits. I developed a novel, patented directed evolution protocol with a single error-prone polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to amplify an entire plasmid and remove most molecular biology steps for faster evolution. We applied my method to evolve brighter fluorescent proteins. The small Ultra-Red Fluorescent Protein (smURFP) is exceptionally bright with excess chromophore, biliverdin. However, fluorescence is dim in mammalian cells due to the endogenous protein sequestration of biliverdin. To enhance smURFP fluorescence in mammalian cells, we evolve smURFP inside human cells to more efficiently utilize endogenous biliverdin. Fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS) screens 50 million cells per hour for high-throughput, automatic selection. We created millions of smURFP variants to select new brighter fluorescent proteins without additional biliverdin. My patented directed evolution method allows for the simultaneous selection of multiple biomolecules quickly and efficiently for application to other biomolecules produced by biotechnology companies.
BIO
Sara Mattson received her B.S. in Chemistry from the State University of New York, Plattsburgh. She received her M.S. in Chemistry from American University in Washington, DC. Her M.S. research synthesized electrophilic small molecules to activate lipoprotein lipase to treat heart disease with Dr. Monika Konaklieva. Ms. Mattson Sara Mattson joined the Rodriguez group in the Spring of 2021. Ms. Mattson’s work develops new directed evolution methods and fluorescent proteins for visualizing biological processes.
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