Bacterial cell elongation

How do cells grow? In rod shaped bacteria, bacteria grow by elongation, mostly using a protein complex call the elongasome. This protein complex is a target for established antibiotics such as the beta-lactams, and is a major target for next generation antimicrobials

We focus in particular on how the elongasome works as a nanoscale machine both in vivo and in vitro, and how cell size, shape and integrity is regulated by elongasome activity.

We use Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli as principal model organisms for these projects.

This work is primarily funded by the BBSRC.

People

• Andrew McMahon, PDRA, single molecule biophysicist
• Kateryna Nitsenko, PDRA, single molecule biophysicist
• Jack Stone, Senior Research Technician, molecular microbiologist

Collaborators

• Henrik Strahl lab, Newcastle University
• Waldemar Vollmer lab, University of Queensland, Australia
• Phill Stansfeld lab, University of Warwick
• David Roper lab, University of Warwick
• Stephen Cochrane lab, Queens University Belfast