2021 Fiscal Year Annual Research Report
Towards a new type of antibiotic: elucidation of the activation signal and signal transduction mechanism of the type III secretion system of Shigella flexneri
| Project/Area Number |
19K16661
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| Research Institution | Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University |
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Principal Investigator |
CHEUNG Martin 沖縄科学技術大学院大学, 量子波光学顕微鏡ユニット, 技術員 (90832163)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2019-04-01 – 2022-03-31
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| Keywords | Shigella flexneri / Type III secretion / Tip complex / Dysentery |
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| Outline of Annual Research Achievements |
The goal of this project was to elucidate the mechanism by which Shigella flexneri uses the type III secretion system (T3SS) to interact with its target cells to cause disease. Through a combination of cryo-EM and mass spectrometry, we were able to resolve the structure of the tip complex (TC) of the T3SS to sub-nanometer resolution. Furthermore, our data hints at the presence of an auxiliary complex (a 'cap') that binds to the TC before infection, ostensibly to enable the T3SS to interact with its target cells. A paper based on our results is currently being prepared.
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