Research projects of current students
- Eva-Maria Heller
- Start date: Dec. 2008
- Nationality: German
- PhD project topic:
“The mechanism of DNA and protein transport by the type IV DNA secretion machinery of Neisseria gonorrhoeae”
- Research group:
AG van der Does, Dept. of Ecophysiology, MPI
- Research project description:
Neisseria gonorrhoeae is a Gram-negative diplococcus which causes the sexually transmissible disease gonorrhoeae. This organism is a highly naturally competent species which can take up and secrete DNA very efficient, this leads to a wide spread of antibiotic resistance in gonococci.
DNA secretion in N. gonorrhoeae is mediated via a type IV secretion system that differs from other known type IV secretion systems in a way that DNA is directly secreted into the surrounding environment. The mechanism for targeting the processed single stranded DNA to the type IV secretion system and the transfer of effector molecules and DNA through this complex is until now not known in detail.
In my PhD project I am focusing on two different proteins which are important for targeting the DNA to the secretion complex. One of these proteins is TraI which is as a putative relaxase involved in DNA processing and the second protein TraD mediates as a coupling protein the interaction between the Relaxosome (protein complex that processes the DNA) and the type IV secretion complex. To study these two proteins I am using different biochemical methods as well as methods from molecular biology and microbiology.
