David Farrell

TheThe Streptococcus pneumoniae IgA1 Protease: from molecular mechanism to vaccine development.

Lead Institution

University of Colorado at Denver

Principal Investigator

Elan Eisenmesser

Streptococcus pneumoniae remains a “major global public health problem” according to the World Health Organization with an alarming increase in non-vaccine serotypes, prompting the immediate need to…

Structural studies of a bacterial siderophore ABC importer YbtPQ

Lead Institution

University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Principal Investigator

Hongjin Zheng

Iron (Fe) is an essential element for not only the well-being of hosts, but also the growth and virulence of microbes(Begg, 2019). One of the major Fe uptake processes in bacteria is through…

Structure and conformational dynamics of biologically important RNAs

Lead Institution

University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Principal Investigator

Jeffrey Kieft

RNA’s remarkable functional diversity is conferred by its ability to adopt a seemingly endless variety of structures and undergo programmed conformational dynamics. The emergence of cryo-EM as a…

The structure of Streptococcus pneumoniae IgA1 Protease in complex with its IgA1 substrate.

Lead Institution

University of Colorado at Denver

Principal Investigator

Elan Eisenmesser

We propose completing the first complex of a bacterial IgA1 Protease (IgA1P) in complex with its human IgA1 substrate. Many opportunistic bacteria produce an IgA1P to cleave their human host IgA1…

Towards Better Understanding of the Siderophore Uptake Process in Escherichia coli

Lead Institution

University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Principal Investigator

Hongjin Zheng

Using siderophores to scavenge metal ions from the host is critical to the thrive of the bacteria during infections. The metal-chelated siderophores are reimported into the bacterial cells through a…

Determine the structural basis of splicing modulation by small molecules

Lead Institution

University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Principal Investigator

Rui Zhao

Aberrant pre-mRNA splicing contributes to 10-15 % of genetic disorders, including Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). SMA is a potentially lethal neurodegenerative disorder caused by loss of function…

Projects

TheThe Streptococcus pneumoniae IgA1 Protease: from molecular mechanism to vaccine development.

Structural studies of a bacterial siderophore ABC importer YbtPQ

Structure and conformational dynamics of biologically important RNAs

The structure of Streptococcus pneumoniae IgA1 Protease in complex with its IgA1 substrate.

Towards Better Understanding of the Siderophore Uptake Process in Escherichia coli

Determine the structural basis of splicing modulation by small molecules