Title: Killing bacteria by leveraging phage-derived peptide antibiotics.

Abstract: A critical step in the bacteriophage life cycle is the requirement to breach the peptidoglycan layer of the bacterial cell wall. Although various lysis mechanisms have evolved, the simplest are present in single-stranded DNA or RNA bacteriophages that, due to their small genomes, encode a single gene lysis (Sgl) protein. In this talk, I will discuss how we use single-particle electron cryo-microscopy to determine structures of these Sgls bound to their targets, including the essential enzymes MraY and the flippase MurJ. I will also explain how these structures have inspired both mechanistic understanding and our efforts to develop new small-molecule inhibitors.

• This event is part of the Halocarbon Lecture Series