BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//ZContent.net//ZapCalLib 1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Acoustic Small-molecule Biosensors for Ultrasound Imaging LOCATION:Virtual Seminar TZID:America/Denver DTSTART:20210426T163000 UID:2026-04-23-21-13-29@natsci.colostate.edu DTSTAMP:20260423T211329 Description:Research Seminar\n\nThe visualization of molecular-level proces ses within living organisms should be considered a cornerstone of next-gen eration medicine. To that end\, ultrasound can noninvasively image deep ti ssue with high spatiotemporal resolution but is lacking in molecular-level biosensors analogously available to other imaging modalities1. Gas vesicl e (GV) protein nanostructures have recently been proposed as ultrasound co ntrast agents that are easily detectable in the context of living organism s. To date\, GV characteristics have been engineered at the constituent pr otein level to achieve cell targeting\, surface charge\, fluorescence\, cl onability\, and differential acoustics and collapse pressures2–4. More r ecently\, GVs have been adapted as ultrasound biosensors that “light up in the presence of protease activity5. While these advancements demonst rate the potential utility of GVs in a clinical setting\, the toolset of u ltrasound imaging can be further enhanced through the detection of small m olecules. Herein is proposed three independent protein engineering aims fo cused on the central objective of generating acoustic small-molecule biose nsors. In Aim 1\, conditionally stable ligand-binding protein domains will be fused as chimeras to GV constituent protein gas vesicle protein C (Gvp C). Aim 2 will install ligand-induced conformational switch domains within the sequence of GvpC through randomized transposon insertion. Aim 3 will discover mechanisms of ligand-responsive behavior through a library-based directed evolution strategy involving cellular buoyancy.\n\n \;\n\n(1) Maresca\, D.\; Lakshmanan\, A.\; Abedi\, M.\; Bar-Zion\, A.\; Farhadi\, A .\; Lu\, G. J.\; Szablowski\, J. O.\; Wu\, D.\; Yoo\, S.\; Shapiro\, M. G. Biomolecular Ultrasound and Sonogenetics. Annu. Rev. Chem. Biomol. Eng. 2 018\, 9 (1)\, 229–252. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-chembioeng-060817 -084034.\n\n(2) Lakshmanan\, A.\; Farhadi\, A.\; Nety\, S. P.\; Lee-Gossel in\, A.\; Bourdeau\, R. W.\; Maresca\, D.\; Shapiro\, M. G. Molecular Engi neering of Acoustic Protein Nanostructures. ACS Nano 2016\, 10 (8)\, 7314 7322. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.6b03364.\n\n(3) Bourdeau\, R. W.\; Lee-Gosselin\, A.\; Lakshmanan\, A.\; Farhadi\, A.\; Kumar\, S. R.\; Nety \, S. P.\; Shapiro\, M. G. Acoustic Reporter Genes for Noninvasive Imaging of Microorganisms in Mammalian Hosts. Nature 2018\, 553 (7686)\, 86–90. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature25021.\n\n(4) Lakshmanan\, A.\; Lu\, G. J.\ ; Farhadi\, A.\; Nety\, S. P.\; Kunth\, M.\; Lee-Gosselin\, A.\; Maresca\, D.\; Bourdeau\, R. W.\; Yin\, M.\; Yan\, J.\; Witte\, C.\; Malounda\, D.\ ; Foster\, F. S.\; Schröder\, L.\; Shapiro\, M. G. Preparation of Biogeni c Gas Vesicle Nanostructures for Use as Contrast Agents for Ultrasound and MRI. Nat Protoc 2017\, 12 (10)\, 2050–2080. https://doi.org/10.1038/npr ot.2017.081.\n\n(5) Lakshmanan\, A.\; Jin\, Z.\; Nety\, S. P.\; Sawyer\, D . P.\; Lee-Gosselin\, A.\; Malounda\, D.\; Swift\, M. B.\; Maresca\, D.\; Shapiro\, M. G. Acoustic Biosensors for Ultrasound Imaging of Enzyme Activ ity. Nat Chem Biol 2020\, 16 (9)\, 988–996. https://doi.org/10.1038/s415 89-020-0591-0.\n\nJoin Zoom Meeting\nMeeting ID: 991 5275 1265\nPasscode: 1872 4:30 pm END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR