Prof. Christine Dunham, Emory University

Translational regulation conferred by toxins

Biochemistry Seminar Series

Pathogenic bacteria adapt to diverse environmental stresses during their life cycle by rapidly adjusting their metabolic rates via global regulatory responses. How quickly bacteria adapt is a direct measure of their survivability and, hence, persistence. A general mechanism for adaptation is the ‘stringent response’ wherein essential growth processes are reduced and/ or halted. Factors involved in the stringent response have been identified across diverse microorganisms but detailed molecular mechanisms of target recognition are still unknown. My laboratory studies how a component of the stringent response, toxin-antitoxin protein complexes, degrades messenger RNA (mRNA) to halt the evolutionarily conserved process of protein synthesis.

The long-term goal of our research is to determine the molecular basis for bacterial toxin-substrate recognition using a combination of innovative structural biology, biochemical and microbiological techniques. Since human pathogenic bacteria use toxin-antitoxin systems to regulate biofilm formation and to gain adaptive advantage during prolonged exposure to antibiotics, understanding how target recognition is achieved by toxins to facilitate bacterial cell survival will thus have tremendous implications for disease prevention and treatment.

For more information contact Prof. Wendy Kelly (404-385-1154).