Abstract: A distinguishing feature of the cell envelope of Gram-negative bacteria is the presence of an outer membrane, which is highly impermeable to antibiotics. Transmembrane -barrel proteins embedded in the outer membrane are responsible for establishing this permeability barrier. Folding and integration of -barrels into the outer membrane are facilitated by the conserved protein complex -barrel assembly machine (BAM). Despite substantial understanding of the structure and function of BAM, several aspects of the mechanism underlying BAM-mediated formation of -barrels remain largely unknown. I work at the intersection of microbiology and biochemistry to understand how BAM catalyzes assembly of hundreds of highly structurally diverse -barrels, and whether any details of this process are conserved across different substrates. In this seminar, I will discuss how we get information about the assembly process in vivo and present recent findings that highlight our approach to elucidate the mechanistic details of catalysis. These studies will guide my future efforts to develop mechanism-based inhibitors of -barrel biogenesis and disrupt the impermeability of the outer membrane.
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JSCBB A115 Butcher Auditorium
Jennie Smoly Caruthers Biotechnology Building (JSCBB)
3415 Colorado Ave.
Boulder, CO 80303