研究领域

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Capsule Biosynthesis in Streptococcus pneumoniae. Streptococcus pneumoniae is a major human pathogen responsible for much morbidity and mortality worldwide. The polysaccharide capsule is single most important virulence factor, helping the pathogen to avoid the host's immune system. My research focuses on the biosynthesis of the capsule, and in particular its regulation by a phosphoregulatory system comprising a protein tyrosine phosphatase, CpsB, and a bacterial tyrosine kinase made up of two proteins, CpsC & CpsD. Our hope is that through understanding of this system, we will uncover mechanisms to inhibit capsule biosynthesis, a much need novel antimicrobial target. Tyrosine phosphorylation in Bacteria. While for some time tyrosine phosphorylation has been recognised as a critical post-translational regulatory mechanism in eukaryotes, only in recent times has this been recognised in bacteria. A recent study has found that tyrosine phosphorylation is present at much higher levels in E. coli than previously recognised. We are interested in studying the effects of tyrosine phosphoryaltion on protein function of a range of critical bacterial virulence factors, in E. coli, S. pneumoniae, and S. flexneri.