The bacterial cell wall or peptidoglycan (PG) layer is a strong, mesh-like material. This structure has been the focus of many research studies due to its importance in bacterial physiology and as a target for antibiotics. As drug resistant bacteria become more prevalent, the understanding on how the PG layer is formed and maintained is necessary for further development of antibiotic targets. As bacteria grow, there is constant turnover of the PG layer through a combination of biochemical and mechanical processes. To accomplish this, complexes severe existing PG, insert new PG units made in the cell and re-crosslink new PG units to existing ones. It was shown that cross-link density is dependent on replication rate under the guidance of synthetic complexes. These complexes control the severing of existing PG and the insertion of new PG units, where as recrosslinking of PG is independent of this process (Belgrave, AM. et al, 2013).

Our Research Focus

The importance of the Peptidoglycan to bacterial integrity forms the basis of most of our research. Our lab has two focuses: (1) The use of biophysical experiments and image analysis to understand the effect that changes in replication rate, and consequently PG crosslink density has on antibiotic susceptility, bacteria motility, morphology and biofilm formation. (2) Microbes play an important role in the bioremediaion of non-toxic substances. There is still a constant need to understand the impact of environmental pollutants on our surrounding ecosystem. Researchers in our lab use innovative ways to understand the effect of these pollutants on our ecosystem while trying to find ways to enhance the bioremediation process.