Single-molecule fluorescence imaging of bacterial chromosome segregation dynamics in cell-free systems

细胞分裂是一个对所有生命形式都至关重要的过程。在细胞分裂过程中，DNA必须正确地分离到每个子细胞中，以确保遗传物质的稳定遗传。该项目的目的是深入了解支持细菌染色体从霍乱弧菌分离的分子机制，作为新型抗生素的靶点。细菌染色体分离过程受Par（partition）蛋白的调控。荧光显微镜的最新进展揭示了细菌染色体在细胞中是高度组织化的，并且以独特的模式分离。在这个项目中，将构建由生物分子纳米图案阵列组成的模型系统，并将其用作仿生平台。这些平台将用于研究霍乱弧菌的分配蛋白的动力学，以更好地了解它们如何参与染色体分离。该项目结合了多学科方法，包括单分子荧光显微镜，生物化学和生物纳米技术，以可视化无细胞系统中合成表面上的纯化蛋白质。

Cell division is a process of fundamental importance to all forms of life. During cell division, DNA must be properly segregated into each daughter cell in order to ensure the stable inheritance of genetic material. The aim of this project is to gain insight into the molecular mechanisms underpinning bacterial chromosome segregation from Vibrio cholerae as a target for novel antibiotics. The process of chromosome segregation in bacteria is regulated by Par (partition) proteins. Recent advances in fluorescence microscopy have revealed that bacterial chromosomes are highly organized and segregate with distinctive patterns in the cell. In this project, model systems consisting of nanopatterned arrays of biomolecules will be constructed and used as biomimetic platforms. These platforms will be utilized for the study of dynamics of partition proteins from Vibrio cholerae in order to better understand how they are involved in chromosome segregation. This project combines multidisciplinary approaches including single-molecule fluorescence microscopy, biochemistry, and bionanotechnology to visualize the purified proteins on synthetic surfaces in a cell-free system.