Author Spotlight: Exploring Cytoskeletal Dynamics to Unveil Novel Antibiotics Through Innovative Cell-Based Assays

Our laboratory is interested in understanding how cytoskeletal proteins assemble dynamic structures to regulate functions such as DNA partitioning and cell division in bacteria. We are also interested in discovering compounds that target these cytoskeletal proteins to develop novel antibiotics. Our protocol is a cell-based assay in which the bacterial cytoskeleton protein polymerizes in a molecularly crowded environment in the eukaryotic yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe.

With this approach, simultaneously, we can identify molecules that directly affects the bacterial cytoskeleton proteins, polymerization, and are potentially toxic. Using this fission yeast platform, we plan to screen libraries of macrocyclic compounds, specifically targeting FtsZ of pathogenic bacteria like Helicobacter pylori and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. We also plan to expand the screens to target actin-like proteins from Clostridium perfringens involved in plasmid segregation.