Intracellular Bacterial Pathogens

Research Summary

Most important bacterial diseases are caused by pathogens that invade the intracellular niche of eukaryotic cells. Although much it is known about their genome content, epidemiology and isolates collected in different geographic areas and hosts; the mechanisms used by these pathogens to proliferate, survive or persist inside hosts cells remain poorly understood. Our lab studies modifications in the cell wall, specifically the peptidoglycan, exploited by the intracellular pathogen Salmonella enterica to adapt to the intracellular lifestyle. Among these changes, we discovered an unprecedented phenomenon during the infection process involving replacement of morphogenetic enzymes that synthetize peptidoglycan and control cell elongation and cell division. Based on these findings, we aim to develop innovative antimicrobial therapies targeting pathogen-specific and essential morphogenetic enzymes that respond to intracellular cues and are absent in the beneficial microbiota.

Research Lines

We are currently performing structural analysis searching for vulnerable sites that could be targeted by new drugs in the morphogenetic enzymes that Salmonella enterica uses in the intracellular niche. Other research lines include the characterization of the regulatory traits triggering the replacement of morphogenetic enzymes in response to signals perceived in the intracellular environment, as well as the features of the pathogen-specific enzymes that make them active only in the acidic phagosomal compartment. We also aim to understand in evolutionary terms how these alternative peptidoglycan synthases were fixed in some families and genera of the Enterobacterales order.

Group Members

Funding

Our research is funded by national and international institutions as indicated below. For more details, please check the general Funding Section at the CNB website.

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