Meningococcal genomics/Type IV pilus biology
Dr. Vladimir Pelicic's group uses one of the most feared human bacterial pathogens, Neisseria meningitidis, that causes meningitis and septicaemia, as a model species for:
1- the design of a biological resource for genome-scale identification of gene function (notably pathogenesis) and/or genes essential for cell viability. This is expected to contribute to the ongoing efforts aimed at global understanding of a prokaryotic cell and eventually to the design of new therapies.
2- the systematic analysis of the type IV pilus (Tfp), one of the most widespread virulence factors in the bacterial world. A multi-disciplinary approach is used that combines molecular genetics, functional genomics, biochemistry and structural biology, and aims at elucidating the function of the 22 proteins dedicated to Tfp biogenesis and/or the multiple functions linked with these organelles.
N. meningitidis Tfp (courtesy of E. Eugène)
For more information on the work of this research group, please refer to Dr Pelicic's page on the Centre for Molecular Microbiology and Infection website.
