Grant: Operating Grant

Amyloids are protein aggregates with diverse roles in disease. They are best known for their toxic association with devastating neurological diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's. These protein aggregates also serve functional roles in a wide range of bacteria and fungi, where they are assembled on the cell surface and function as virulence factors and developmental determinants. We have developed one of the best understood model systems for studying these 'functional' amyloids in the Streptomyces bacteria. Our proposed studies provide a unique opportunity to establish universal themes in amyloid assembly and dysfunction, laying the foundation for understanding and exploiting amyloid activity in pathogenic bacteria and fungi.