Developing a Hydrogen/Deuterium Exchange Mass Spectrometry (HDX-MS) Platform to Study the Structure and Assembly of Bacterial Nanocompartments.

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Bacterial nanocompartments (BNCs) are large protein assemblies comprising a hollow icosahedral multimeric protein cage which can sequester a range of 'cargo' protein (often enzymes) inside. This project will develop techniques in hydrogen/deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (HDX-MS) to study the structure, dynamics and assembly of BNCs. These mass spectrometry studies will complement existing structural biology studies using X-ray crystallography and electron microscopy. Understanding these fascinating systems will allow their future manipulation as potential platforms for biotechnology, synthetic biology, and drug delivery. The student will work in a highly interdisciplinary team spanning the disciplines of chemistry, biology and engineering. The student will learn skills in protein mass spectrometry, recombinant protein production, biochemistry, and structural biology. Protein crystallography and electron microscopy will be performed in collaboration with Dr. Jon Marles-Wright, University of Newcastle (www.marles-wright-lab.org).