Protein-protein interactions is a component of the rapid development of bioinfomatics within BABS which is being fostered, with others, by Professor Marc Wilkins.
Host Interaction and Virulence in Marine Bacteria
The marine-surface associated bacterium Pseudoalteromonas tunicata is a model organism on which to study the production and regulation of bioactive metabolites. This organism is known to produce a number of compounds with both specific and general affects against a variety of bacteria and eukaryotes. However to date the exact nature of several of these compounds remains unclear as does the environmental parameters that lead to their production. The recently sequenced genome provides many insights into the potential mechanisms of interaction between P. tunicata and its marine eukaryotic hosts (algae and invertebrates). Moreover, genes have been identified which suggest under different environmental conditions P. tunicata could cause disease in the host, thus this project also speaks to the emergence of new marine pathogens.
The overall aim of this project is to determine mechanisms by which P. tunicata mediates beneficial and disease-causing interactions with marine eukaryotic host and establishes itself as a successful member of the marine microbial surface community.
BABS personnel that are responsible for this project