How Bacteria Hunt for Food
Course Description
To grow and survive bacteria must scavenge food from their environment. However, bacteria are tiny organisms that face a big challenge. Unlike humans, bacteria lack eyes, hands and a mouth. Therefore, the strategies used by humans and bacteria to find and "eat" molecules are fundamentally different.
In this class we discuss how bacteria search and then internalize "food". By comparing and contrasting the protein machinery of Escherichia coli, a model organism and Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease we will discuss differences in nutrient requirements and the proteins needed to transport them across cellular membranes. In the first section of the class, we will use web-based bioinformatic tools to identify the protein systems present in each bacterium. Next, we will discuss how protein structure is linked to nutrient recognition, binding and transport. This class will involve reading of primary literature, traditional lectures and in-class discussions. Although there are no exams, you will be required to give an end-of-class presentation on a protein transport system of your choice. Throughout the class we will also go on campus visits to shared facilities to see cutting-edge biophysical instruments in action.
Meet the Instructor: Naima Sharaf
“I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology. I received my undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (B.S. in Chemistry), completed my graduate work in the lab of Angela Gronenborn (Ph.D. in Molecular Biophysics and Structural Biology), and carried out my postdoctoral research in the lab of Dr. Doug Rees. I joined the Biology Department in 2021, and my laboratory has two main focuses: the structure and function of nutrient acquisition proteins in diderm bacteria and the use of bacterial lipoproteins as novel biomaterials. Outside the lab, I enjoy playing chess, watching anime, and reading science fiction books.”
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