Northwestern Events Calendar

Apr
19
2022

M-I Dept. Seminar Series - "Substrates of the Legionella pneumophila Type II Protein Secretion System and Their Diverse Roles in Infection"

When: Tuesday, April 19, 2022
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM CT

Where: Simpson Querrey Biomedical Research Center, Auditorium, 303 E. Superior Street, Chicago, IL 60611 map it

Audience: Faculty/Staff - Post Docs/Docs - Graduate Students

Contact: Cynthia Naugles   (312) 503-0489

Group: Department of Microbiology-Immunology Seminars/Events

Category: Lectures & Meetings

Description:

Title TBA

Carlton Adams, Graduate Student, Lab of Nicholas Cianciotto, PhD

Faculty Host: Nicholas Cianciotto, PhD

Topic:

Legionnaires’ disease is an often-fatal pneumonia that is increasing in incidence in the US. Legionella pneumophila is the causative agent of this disease and is widespread in natural and man-made water systems (e.g., air conditioners). In its natural habitats, L. pneumophila grows as an intracellular parasite of amoebae, and in the lungs, the bacterium primarily infects macrophages.  L. pneumophila possesses a type II protein secretion system (T2SS) that secretes a wide range of degradative enzymes and a significant number of novel proteins into the extracellular milieu and/or into host cell compartments.  Our lab has further demonstrated that the T2SS substantially promotes L. pneumophila infection of amoebae, macrophages, and the murine lung. T2SS substrates that are highly conserved across Legionella species have thus far proved to be more likely to promote intracellular infection.  We are now investigating the importance and function of a set of newly identified T2SS substrates that are highly conserved and predicted to encode activities that have never been studied before in L. pneumophila, other intracellular parasites, and/or T2SSs.  Among this group are members of the carbohydrate esterase 4 protein family that may be modifying the bacterial cell surface, among other things. The results of these studies will not only improve the basic understanding of bacterial pathogenesis but may offer potential new strategies for disease prevention. 

 

 

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