Date of Award
5-10-2017
Major
Microbiology
Faculty Advisor
Fisher, Derek J
Abstract
Chlamydia trachomatis is a Gram negative, obligate intracellular bacterium responsible for the most common reportable bacterial sexually transmitted infection in the United States and the leading infectious cause of preventable blindness worldwide. This pathogen undergoes a unique biphasic developmental cycle where it alternates between its infectious form, termed the elementary body (EB), and its replicative form, termed the reticulate body (RB). We hypothesize that reversible phosphorylation regulates the differentiation of the bacterium between these two forms. In order to study phosphorylation in Chlamydia, it is necessary to examine the role of individual kinases and phosphatases in the organism. My project focuses on using the Bacteriomatch II Two-Hybrid System to search for binding partners for the chlamydial phosphatase protein Cpp1. In particular, my project will test for interactions with a cysteine desulfurase and the elongation factor EF-Tu. Binding will be determined by streptomycin resistance and histidine production using the Bacteriomatch system. Successful identification of binding partners for Cpp1 could further our understanding of essential regulatory mechanisms in C. trachomatis and could lead to the identification of potential drug targets in the future.