Speaker
Mr
Oliver Sterritt
(University of Canterbury)
Description
*Pseudomonas aeruginosa* is an opportunistic human pathogen associated with the chronic infection of the lungs of Cystic Fibrosis patients – New Zealand’s most common lethal genetic disease. *P. aeruginosa* has an innate resistance to antibiotics and concerns exist around the appearance of multi-drug resistant strains [1].
The shikimate pathway is responsible for the biosynthesis of key aromatic metabolites including the aromatic amino acids phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan; folic acid; and, in the case of *P. aeruginosa*, the toxic secondary metabolite pyocyanin [2].
The determination of the crystal structure of a key enzyme in the shikimate pathway from *P. aeruginosa* reveals a distinct regulatory mechanism and provides only the second example of a crystal structure of this type of enzyme.
References:
[1] Davies, J. (1994) Inactivation of antibiotics and the dissemination of resistance genes, *Science* 264, 375-382.
[2] Lau, G. W., Hassett, D. J., Ran, H. M., and Kong, F. S. (2004) The role of pyocyanin in *Pseudomonas aeruginosa* infection, *Trends in Molecular Medicine* 10, 599-606.
| Are you an ECR? (<5 yrs</br>since PhD/Masters) | No |
|---|---|
| Are you a student? | Yes |
| Do you wish to take part in</br>the Student Poster Slam? | Yes |
| What is your gender? | Male |
Primary author
Mr
Oliver Sterritt
(University of Canterbury)
Co-authors
Prof.
Emily Parker
(University of Canterbury)
Prof.
Geoffrey Jameson
(Massey University)
