Maria Grazia Giuliano

Profile

Project title: Functioning of the bacterial ribosome during rRNA stress and antimicrobial treatment 

Summary: The ribosome is a dynamic molecular machine, which translates genetic information within messenger RNA via amino-acid-carrying transfer-RNAs into polypeptides. In bacteria, the 70S ribosome comprises a 50S large and 30S small subunit made of 5S, 16S and 23S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) and approximately 50 ribosomal proteins. Translation is a sequential multi-step process facilitated by co-factors that involves initiation, elongation, termination, and ribosome recycling. The ribosome’s essential position en route from genotype to phenotype makes it a key target for antimicrobials and requires the cell to employ repair-systems to maintain ribosome homeostasis. Using a multidisciplinary approach involving Molecular Biology and state-of-the-art imaging techniques with single molecule sensitivity, I will study the impact of a novel rRNA repair-system on the functioning of the E. coli ribosome in presence and absence of antimicrobials.

Supervisor

• Dr Christoph Engl

Research