Associate Prof Dmitry Ghilarov
Our long-term aim is to reveal fundamental principles of how bacterial molecular machines use energy to manipulate three-dimensional structure of peptides and nucleic acids
Associate Prof Dmitry Ghilarov
Bacterial molecular machines leading to novel therapeutics
Bacterial diversity produces fascinating examples of protein machines with unique enzymatic activities, many of which could be inhibited to create new antibacterials. Our research aims to reveal fundamental principles of how bacterial molecular machines work, and to learn how they could be manipulated and engineered. We are pursuing three main research directions, using a combination of biochemistry & structural biology methods:
- RiPPs: genetically encoded peptides that are converted into bioactive molecules by multienzyme complexes.
- Bacterial DNA topoisomerases - type II topoisomerases gyrase and topoisomerase IV that work in close connection with the replisome and SMC proteins, directly and indirectly affecting all genomic transactions in the cell.
- Bacterial antiviral defense systems - the field of bacterial phage immunity is one of the most exciting topics of contemporary microbiology. We are studying a complex defense system called BREX (bacteriophage exclusion system).
To find out more, please visit: http://ghilarovlab.com
