Science / Technology - Colloquium
Monday, September 21, 2009
4:00 PM-12:50 PM
Olin Hall
223
Gram-negative bacteria have a layer of lipopolysaccharides (LPS) on the outer portion of their membrane. These LPS molecules are very important in controlling virulence and bacterial adhesion to host tissue or biomaterials. Heterogeneity in the properties of bacterial LPS can affect how they interact with, and ultimately attach to, various surfaces. We are working with two model microorganisms, which exhibit different kinds of heterogeneity. For example, Escherichia coli (E. coli) express LPS which vary from strain to strain, but are chemically the same within a single subspecies. However, physical heterogeneities (such as length of the polymer molecules) can vary as a function of growth conditions, even on a single strain of bacteria. Pseudomonas aeruginosa represents a different scenario, in which the same bacterium can express chemically and physically distinct saccharide units on a single LPS molecule. Using atomic force microscopy, we are exploring how this heterogeneity, especially in the physical properties of LPS, controls the attachment and adhesion of Gram-negative bacteria to numerous surfaces.
Cost: FREE
Sponsored by: WPI Physics Department, Dr. Erkan Tuzel
Suggested Audiences: College
E-mail:
tuzel@wpi.edu
Phone: 508-831-5391
Last Modified: September 15, 2009 at 11:19 AM
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