TIE proteins & covalent adhesion of Gram-positive bacteria
Commensal and pathogenic bacteria rely on surface-associated adhesins for colonization, pathogenesis, and persistence within host tissues. Until recently, adhesins were known only to interact with host targets through non-covalent interactions. We have identified a large class of surface proteins composed of domains containing intramolecular cross-links between amino acid side-chains. These TIE (thioester, isopeptide, ester) proteins are exceedingly prevalent and diverse in Gram-positive bacteria, and can be likened to “chemical harpoons”, covalently anchoring bacteria to their targets on host cell surfaces. TIE proteins may therefore have evolved to mediate fast, mechanically persistent binding of bacteria to host tissues. Insights yielded by the combined efforts of structural and cell biology support covalent bacteria-host binding as a new molecular principle in host-microbe interaction, and represents an unexploited target to treat bacterial infection.
Date: 15 March 2016, 11:30 (Tuesday, 9th week, Hilary 2016)
Venue: Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, South Parks Road OX1 3RE
Venue Details: EPA seminar room
Speaker: Ona Miller (University of St. Andrews)
Organising department: Sir William Dunn School of Pathology
Organisers: Rebecca Moore (University of Oxford), Helen Farr (University of Oxford), Joanna Miller (University of Oxford), Eva Gluenz (University of Oxford), Kenny Moore (University of Oxford), Rachel Exley (University of Oxford)
Part of: Bug Sessions in infectious disease
Booking required?: Not required
Audience: Members of the University only
Editor: Rebecca Moore