Research projects of current students
- Maria Zweig
- Start date: Oct. 2008
- Nationality: German/Russian
- PhD thesis:
“Function of ssDNA secreted via the type IV DNA secretion system of Neisseria gonorrhoeae.” (2009) Max-Planck Institute, Marburg
- Research group: AG Chris van der Does, Dept. of Ecophysiology, MPI
- Research project description
My research focuses on the study of role of DNA secreted by Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Gonococcus is human-adapted, Gram-negative diplococcus and is the causative agent of the sexually transmitted disease gonorrhoea. N. gonorrhoeae encodes an unusual T4SS within the gonococcal genetic island which secrete DNA directly in to the medium. Currently nothing is known about the exact function of the secreted DNA, nor of the relative importance of the two different type IV secretion systems in the spread of genetic information within biofilms.
Gonococcus is genetically easily accessible. A lot of standard genetic tools like generating of knock-out mutants, complementation and overexpression are established. I use standard molecular biology and biochemistry techniques, as well fluorescent and confocal microscopy.
