My lab is investigating a potent antimicrobial protein from soybean with the ultimate goal of producing a novel antibiotic. Antibiotic resistance is an enormous and rapidly growing problem among numerous human pathogens formerly easily controlled by existing drugs. Discovery of new antibiotics is essential. Research has focused on isolating new medicinal compounds from rare tropical plant species, but little attention has been paid to crop species which can be grown in quantity.

We have cloned a gene from soybean (Glycine max L.) encoding an enzyme possessing glucanase activity, potentially capable of degrading bacterial and fungal cell wall structures, resulting in abatement or termination of microbial growth. It has shown considerable activity against several species of gram negative bacteria (E. coli, Enterobacter aerogenes, and Proteus vulgaris ) as well as against Charcoal Rot (Macrophomina phaseolina), a significant fungal pathogen of soybean, corn, cotton, and many other plant species of agronomic importance responsible for hundreds of millions of dollars lost to American farmers annually. Analysis of purified recombinant protein from a yeast expression system is underway to quantitate the efficacy of this protein as an antimicrobial agent.

Current Student: Rhonda Egidy