Department of Biology Special Seminar: Damian C. Ekiert

Description

Damian C. Ekiert, an associate professor in the departments of Cell Biology and of Microbiology at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, will hold a special seminar titled "Bridges, Tunnels, and Ferries: How Bacteria Move Lipids Between Membranes" for the Department of Biology.

Abstract:

Gram-negative bacteria are surrounded by an outer membrane composed of phospholipids and lipopolysaccharide, which acts as a barrier and contributes to antibiotic resistance. The transport systems that drive phospholipid translocation across the periplasm, such as the MCE (Mammalian Cell Entry) systems, have not been well characterized at the molecular level. Using Cryo-EM and other approaches, we have begun to unravel some of the mechanisms of lipid transport across the bacterial envelope by MCE systems in Gram-negatives, such as E.coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, as well as unconventional double-membraned bacteria, like Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Our lab is interested in understanding how these systems drive the insertion/extraction of lipids from membranes, facilitate transport across the envelope, and how this entire process is regulated. I will present our latest work on this intriguing family of transporters, and discuss our working model for how they facilitate the maintenance of the outer membrane and lipid transport across the cell envelope in diverse bacterial species.