Structural Studies On The Conjugative Apparatus Of The Gram-positive Bacteria, Clostridium Perfringens.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$287,321.00
Summary
Antibiotic resistance is a worldwide health problem. It has severely reduced the effectiveness of many antibiotics driving up the health care costs and death rates associated with bacterial infections. This project aims to investigate how antibiotic resistance determinants are transferred in the pathogenic bacteria, Clostridium perfringens. By understanding the mechanism of antibiotic resistance transfer in bacteria we will be better armed to combat antibiotic resistance.
Probing The Control And Action Of CLIC1/NCC27, An Unusual Chloride Ion Channel, By X-ray Crystallography
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$271,320.00
Summary
Cells must regulate the flow of ions and water across their membranes in order to survive and function normally. The balance of ions and water is controlled by ion channels - proteins that control the permeability of the cell membrane. Of the ion channels, chloride channels are the most abundant in cells. They are central to the functioning of normal cells as well as playing a key role in many disease states. Our group was the first to identify and characterise a new class of chloride channel wh ....Cells must regulate the flow of ions and water across their membranes in order to survive and function normally. The balance of ions and water is controlled by ion channels - proteins that control the permeability of the cell membrane. Of the ion channels, chloride channels are the most abundant in cells. They are central to the functioning of normal cells as well as playing a key role in many disease states. Our group was the first to identify and characterise a new class of chloride channel which plays a key roles in the regulation of the immune system. These channels are unusual in that they can move between two states: a soluble state and a state that resides in the cell membrane. We have determined the first structure of this class of channel in the soluble state. In this project, we will determine: how the protein makes the transition into the membrane state; which factors control this transition; and the structure of the protein in the membrane state. We will also determine how several drugs control the activity of this channel. The results of our work will have specific implications for our channel and will serve as a paradigm for other members of this new class of chloride channel. Understanding how this channel functions and how the current drugs control it will lead to the development of a new class of therapeutic agents that will control these channels by preventing the transition from the soluble to the membrane state.Read moreRead less
Structural Biology Of Cytokine Receptor Signalling
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$3,988,996.00
Summary
This Program will be focused on a group of protein hormones and their receptors, implicated in blood cell cancers and inflammatory diseases and for which current treatments are inadequate. We will determine the mechanism of receptor activation and in particular will seek to link different forms of receptor assembly to different functions. This information will help us develop new drugs with more specificity for certain hormone functions and thus less side-effects.
A Novel Mode Of Cytokine Receptor Assembly And Activation: Functional And Structural Characterization
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$621,322.00
Summary
This proposal will study a group of protein hormones and their receptors, implicated in blood cell cancers and inflammatory diseases and for which current treatments are inadequate. We will determine the mechanism of receptor activation and in particular will seek to link different forms of receptor assembly to different functions. This information will help us develop new drugs with more specificity for certain hormone functions and thus less side effects
An X-ray Crystallographic Investigation Into The Adaptive Immune Response To Epstein Barr Virus
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$521,961.00
Summary
This proposal is focussed on understanding the precise shape of proteins that control the immune response to Epstein Barr Virus. EBV is an ubiquitous human pathogen that has been linked to a number of cancers. This research proposal will further our understanding of the immune response to EBV, which will lay the foundations for developing therapeutics against this disease.
I am a structural biologist investigating the structure and function of malaria surface proteins as vaccine candidates, regulators of cytokine signalling and pharmacologically active toxins.
Probing The Structure, Mechanism And Inhibition Of Indoleamine 2,3-Dioxygenase Using Structure- And Ligand-Based Studies
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$319,650.00
Summary
The human enzyme indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) is responsible for the initiation of a major enzymatic pathway, known as the kynurenine pathway. During certain immune and infectious diseases IDO becomes over-active and this leads to accumulation of neurotoxic kynurenine pathway compounds (metabolites). The elevated levels of these metabolites have been linked to severe mental deterioration associated with diseases such as AIDS (AIDS dementia complex), malaria and Alzheimer's disease. Several ....The human enzyme indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) is responsible for the initiation of a major enzymatic pathway, known as the kynurenine pathway. During certain immune and infectious diseases IDO becomes over-active and this leads to accumulation of neurotoxic kynurenine pathway compounds (metabolites). The elevated levels of these metabolites have been linked to severe mental deterioration associated with diseases such as AIDS (AIDS dementia complex), malaria and Alzheimer's disease. Several kynurenine pathway metabolites have also been linked to age-related nuclear cataract, which is the major cause of human blindness. This project employs a multidisciplinary approach that brings together a team of expert scientists from medicinal chemistry, protein crystallography, protein biochemistry and neurology. The overall aims of the project are to determine the structure of IDO using the recombinant human enzyme that we have cloned and expressed in an active form and to develop compounds that will regulate levels of the kynurenine pathway metabolites by selectively inhibiting the action of IDO. In addition, we will begin to assess the medicinal value of the best inhibitors. We have already synthesised several inhibitors of IDO, but wish to design more potent inhibitors. In order to do this, computer-aided molecular modelling and X-ray crystallography (which effectively provides a picture of the enzyme with the inhibitors attached) will be used to predict the best molecular features needed for inhibition. This will greatly aid the design of new inhibitor compounds, which will then be synthesised. The best inhibitors will also be examined to determine their general pharmacological value and specifically their ability to treat AIDS dementia complex and age-related nuclear cataract. These enzyme inhibitors also have the potential to treat other significant human diseases.Read moreRead less