We propose a novel solution to address the social embarrassment caused by stink fart and body odor of patients who undergo enterostomy: engineering probiotics to improve the acrid intestinal smell. We construct three different metabolic pathways in E.coli to convert ammonia to arginine, hydrogen sulfide to cysteine, and produce myrcene respectively. The experimental results are approximately consistent with the expectation. Compared with the wild-type, our engineered E.coli consumes 40.47% more ammonia, converts and produces 98.72% more cysteine, and produces 0.034185 mg/ml myrcene. We improve a more efficient feedback-resistant SAT better than that of the previous research (Kai, 2006). After further refinement on the genetic pathways and rigorous biosafety tests, our research can be developed into an actual product such as a capsule that can be orally delivered into the intestine, where the probiotics function. Then, people can quietly break wind in public space without bothering about the acrid smell, and patients who undergo enterostomy can no longer worry about their body odor in social situations.
Reference:
Kai Y, et al. Engineering of Escherichia coli L-serine O-acetyltransferase on the basis of crystal structure: desensitization to feedback inhibition by L-cysteine. Protein Eng Des Sel 2006;19(4):163-7.