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Identification Of A Novel Cell-Penetrating Protein Derived From The Human Gut Microbiome With Potential For Intracellular Therapeutic Delivery

Student Name: Sarah Post
Student Concentration: Immunology and Infectious Disease
Sarah Post
Principal Investigator: Ilana Brito
Degree Conferral Date: August 2024
Committee Member 1: David Putnam
Committee Member 2: Marcus Smolka
Committee Member 3: Brian VanderVen
Abstract:

Protein-protein interactions between the microbiome and host organism play an important role in shaping host health. These host-modulating proteins have therapeutic potential in treating microbiome-linked disorders such as inflammatory bowel disease and obesity. Structural analysis of interacting proteins provides highly mechanistic insight into the domains driving these interactions and the resulting influence on host cell processes. Here, we briefly review recent publication of microbiome protein structures involved in host binding interactions, the effects of these interactions on host physiology, and the need for further study to increase the ability to detect proteins with therapeutic potential.

Publications:

Post SE, Brito IL. Structural insight into protein-protein interactions between intestinal microbiome and host. Curr Opin Struct Biol. 2022 Jun;74:102354. doi: 10.1016/j.sbi.2022.102354. Epub 2022 Apr 4. PMID: 35390637.