Bacterial Spores as a Scalable, Modular Platform forthe Production of Amyloids for Materials

Abstract

We present a proof-of-concept platform in which amyloids are displayed on the surface of engineered Bacillus subtilis spores for bioengineered materials. Amyloids possess high tensile strength, elasticity, and tunable assembly, but their use is limited by inaccessible native sources and low-yield or toxic heterologous expression. Here, spores were engineered to display the native amyloid TasA and Humboldt squid suckerins 9 and 10 as fusions to the spore coat protein CotY. Amyloid production and fibril formation were confirmed by Western blot and X-34 staining, and quantitative analysis indicated mg/L-level yields. Atomic force microscopy revealed altered stiffness and surface ultrastructure, and incorporation of amyloid-displaying spores into resin-based 3D printing modified tensile strength. These findings highlight spore-based amyloid display as a scalable, modular platform for materials applications, leveraging established industrial spore production.