Structural Studies of Synthetic Inhibitors that Target the Sortase A Protein from Staphylococcus aureus
Bacteria have become a norm in daily life. In this research, a specific component of bacteria was studied. Bacteria produce many proteins that are key components in its behavior and its ability to gain immunity to many prescribed antibiotics. Sortase A, an essential protein of one of the most fatal bacterial strains, was a validated target for the design of drugs that act to kill the Gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus aureus. The protein was purified using a combination of nickel and gel filtration columnar chromatography. Afterwards, crystallography experiments were performed to grow a crystal of the Sortase A protein. This crystal will aid in determining the possible structure of the Sortase A protein. By determining the structure of Sortase A, we will be able to further characterize the interaction between Sortase A protein and small molecule inhibitors.
School:
Dillard University
Department:
Chemical Engineering
Research Advisor:
Satish K. Nair
Department of Research Advisor:
Biochemestry
Year of Publication:
2007