Structural Biology
Our research program seeks to understand, in molecular detail, fundamental cellular processes that occur at the membrane interface. We utilize a multidisciplinary approach in our program. X-ray crystallography and EM are our main tools to obtain high-resolution structures and macromolecular mechanisms are elucidated with complementary biochemical and biophysical approaches including single molecule studies. Current projects include:
(i) Modification of the Bacterial Outer Membranes Mediating Antibiotic Resistance: Lipid-A modification with Ara4N and pEtN confers resistance antimicrobial peptides of the innate immune system as well as antibiotics such as colistin. The focus of our research is to determine the structure and mechanism of enzymes essential for Lipid-A modification with Ara4N and pEtN as a key for the design and evaluation of specific inhibitors.
(ii) Folding and Insertion of Membrane Proteins in the Bacterial and Mitochondrial Outer Membrane: We seek to understand the molecular mechanisms by which chaperones and the BAM membrane protein complex cooperate to promote folding and specific insertion of -barrel OMPs into bacterial and mitochondrial outer membranes.
(iii) Molecular Determinants of protein secretion: We aim to define the molecular signatures that allow proteins to be unfolded and secreted by the Type Three Secretion System.
