Grant: Operating Grant

All pathogenic bacteria need weapons to defend themselves against the immune system in order to thrive in the human body. Among those weapons the secretion systems are especially important since they transfer toxins and other virulence factors into human cells. We study a special secretion system from pathogenic bacteria, the type IV secretion system, which erects structures on the surface of bacteria that engage in toxin transfer into the host. In the absence of the secretion system, the bacteria do not cause disease, because they can not defend themselves against the immune system. The aim of this project is to analyze and understand the molecular details of the interactions of the type IV secretion system component VirB8, which is an Achilles heel of the secretion system. Once we understand these interactions we will be able to block the function of VirB8 and thereby block the secretion system and bacterial pathogenicity. This approach could lead to the development of novel anti-microbial drugs against bacterial pathogens and in our preliminary work we have already identified interesting candidate molecules.