Imaging The Machinery Of Bacterial Locomotion At Atomic Resolution
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$360,732.00
Summary
Our aim is to a) understand and b) sabotage the machinery of locomotion in bacteria. The flagellar motor propels bacteria at 100s of revolutions per second through viscous media making this the most powerful motor known to man. Bacteria can sense their environment and make informed decisions to avoid hazards or find food. Understanding how this machinery works in atomic detail is expected to have implications for both the development of new antibacterials and in the area of nano-medicine.
Mechanism Of Anoxic Iron Acquisition In Pathogenic Bacteria
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$536,280.00
Summary
All organisms require iron for their survival, including all bacterial species. Bacterial pathogens growing in anaerobic environments, such as in our gut, gum, or tissue, sequester iron through the divalent iron transporter FeoB. We aim to divulge the mechanism of iron transport through FeoB by structural and functional studies, and thus provide a scaffold for a non-conventional antimicrobial target.