PURIFICATION OF VARIOUS OMPF MUTANTS FOR USE IN THE PRODUCTION OF BIOMIMETIC MEMBRANES

open_access
Open Access
Author:
Becker, Matthew Louis
Area of Honors:
Chemical Engineering
Degree:
Bachelor of Science
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Dr. Manish Kumar, Thesis Supervisor
Ali Borhan, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
OmpF
Biomimetic
Membranes
Biomimetic membranes
Filtration
Abstract:
The use of biomimetic membranes for the treatment and purification of high-salinity water is a novel one that requires a plethora of information on the properties of the membranes being used in the process. For the scope of this project, the membrane proteins of various E. coli cells were studied and analyzed so it could be determined which mutated outer membrane protein (in this case OmpF) would be optimal for both polymer conjugation and for eventual water purification. These purifications were performed primarily via ultracentrifugation and fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC) while critical data on the success of these purifications were provided by various assays including Bradford and sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Data on the filtration potential of produced biomimetic membranes was obtained by filtration of various molecular weight dyes. Future work includes performing further purifications and assays on additional OmpF mutants. It is the hope of this project that a sufficient number of OmpF mutants will eventually by analyzed such that biomimetic membranes with the highest possible efficacy can eventually be produced on a large scale.