CHARACTERIZING PLASMID SEGREGATION SYSTEMS FROM PATHOGENIC BACTERIA

Abstract

Until recently, the inner structure of bacterial cells was never given serious thought. However with the developments in technology, notably microscopes combined with biochemistry, an amazing amount of order and complexity has been discovered in bacteria. The research presented here has explored ParCMR systems from bacteria and identified polymerizing filament structures thus providing insight into our general understanding of how filaments form and play a crucial role in maintaining cellular integrity and importantly, the diversity that characterizes them. Until now, only two high resolution double-stranded ParMs filament structures have been published. This thesis has contributed to the addition of two new double-stranded high resolution ParM filaments – a 3.9 Å and a 4.0 Å Alicyclo and ALP37 ParMs respectively exhibiting different biochemical and biophysical properties. This thesis contributes to and builds upon the understanding of the evolution of cytoskeletal systems that define and modulate the relationships between the host bacteria and plasmids.