Project and evolutionary dynamics of Pseudomonas aeruginosa during anti-adhesion therapy AND The purification and crystallisation of five Bdellovibrio proteins used during attack phase

Hardy, David (2015). Project and evolutionary dynamics of Pseudomonas aeruginosa during anti-adhesion therapy AND The purification and crystallisation of five Bdellovibrio proteins used during attack phase. University of Birmingham. M.Res.

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Abstract

This Masters by Research thesis comprises of two different projects each conducted at the University of Birmingham between 2013 and 2014. The first project was about using an anti-adhesion FimH antagonist on \(P.\) \(aeruginosa\) to evaluate their population and evolutionary dynamics. This data was then used to help mathematical models on the effects of anti-adhesion molecules during and bacterial infection. Six clinical isolates were for their antibiotic resistance to meropenem and imipenem. Once a resistant and susceptible isolate was found their growth rates, killing rates, attachment amounts and phagocyte killing capacity was measured. The second project involved protein purification and crystallisation of five \(Bdellovibrio\) proteins during attack phase. During attack phase \(Bdellovibrio\) up regulates certain proteins and finding the structure of these proteins will help understand how the function. This could be used as way to control \(Bdellovibrio\) and use it as at living antibiotic. \(Bdellovibrio\) is a predatory bacterium capable of invading and replicating within Gram negative bacteria. The overall goal of this project was to purify five \(Bdellovibrio\) proteins to a high enough purity and concentration to create protein crystals. The crystals would then be diffracted through x-ray crystallography to deduce the molecular structure.

Type of Work:

Thesis (Masters by Research > M.Res.)

Award Type:

Masters by Research > M.Res.

Supervisor(s):