Azurin , a
bacteriocin produced by a
human gut bacterium
Pseudomonas aeruginosa , can reveal selectively cytotoxic and induce
apoptosis in
cancer cells . After overcoming two phase I trials, a functional region of
Azurin called p28 has been approved as a
drug for the
treatment of
brain tumor glioma by FDA. The present study aims to improve a
screening procedure and assess
genetic diversity of
Azurin genes in P. aeruginosa and
Azurin -like
genes in the
gut microbiome of a specific
population in
Vietnam and global
populations . Firstly, both cultivation-dependent and cultivation-independent
techniques based on genomic and metagenomic DNAs extracted from fecal samples of the healthy specific
population were performed and optimized to detect
Azurin genes . Secondly, the
Azurin gene sequences were analyzed and compared with global
populations by using
bioinformatics tools. Finally, the
screening procedure improved from the first step was applied for
screening Azurin -like
genes , followed by the
protein synthesis and NCI
in vitro screening for anticancer activity. As a result, this study has successfully optimized the annealing
temperatures to amplify DNAs for
screening Azurin genes and applying to
Azurin -like
genes from
human gut microbiota . The novelty of this study is the first of its kind to classify
Azurin genes into five different
genotypes at a global scale and confirm the potential anticancer activity of three
Azurin -like synthetic
proteins (Cnazu1, Dlazu11, and Ruazu12). The results contribute to the
procedure development applied for
screening anticancer
proteins from
human microbiome and a comprehensive
understanding of their
therapeutic response at a genetic level