Defying the Stereotype: Cyclic AMP and Mycobacteria
Event details
| Date | 21.06.2011 |
| Hour | 14:00 |
| Speaker | Prof. Sandhya S. Visweswariah, Indian Institute of Science (Department of Molecular Reproduction, Development and Genetics) |
| Location | |
| Category | Conferences - Seminars |
Cyclic AMP is used as a second messenger in almost all forms of life. This talk will highlight unique features of cyclic AMP-mediated signalling in mycobacteria, that defy the existing paradigms. The biochemical and structural characterization of a number of mycobacterial adenylyl cyclases has demonstrated that their activities are controlled by mechanisms distinct from that seen in eukaryotes and other prokaryotes. The product of the rv0805 gene, with orthologs present only in slow growing mycobacteria, is capable of hydrolyzing cAMP. However, the same enzyme also appears to alter the properties of the cell wall in a cAMP-independent manner, suggesting a moonlighting function for Rv0805. Cyclic AMP has a number of novel downstream targets in mycobacteria, one of them being a cAMP-dependent protein lysine acetyl transferase. It is therefore clear that the synthesis, degradation and utilization of cAMP in mycobacteria occur by mechanisms that are distinct from that seen in other bacteria or in eukaryotes. Therefore, targeting cAMP-mediated signalling processes may aid in our efforts to understand the mechanisms utilized by mycobacteria to cause disease.
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Practical information
- General public
- Free
Organizer
- Dr. Neeraj Dhar
Contact
- Dr. Neeraj Dhar