Poster abstracts
Poster number 21 submitted by Andrei Rajkovic
Cyclic Rhamnosylated Elongation Factor P Establishes Antibiotic Resistance in Pseudomonas Aeruginosa
Andrei Rajkovic (Microbiology), Sarah Erickson (Microbiology), Anne Witzky (Microbiology ), Owen E. Branson (Biochemistry)
Abstract:
Elongation factor P (EF-P) is a ubiquitous bacterial protein
that is required for the synthesis of poly-proline
motifs during translation. In Escherichia coli, the posttranslational
β-lysylation of Lys34 by the PoxA protein is
critical for EF-P activity. PoxA is absent from many bacterial
species such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa,
prompting a search for alternative EF-P posttranslation
modification pathways. Our findings reveal P. aeruginosa
EF-P is modified with a single cyclic rhamnose
moiety on a conserved Arg residue, by the conserved
glycosyltransferase (EarP). Loss of the modification prevents
expression of genes encoding polyprolines and
negatively impacts survival.
Keywords: Antibiotic Resistance, Ribosome, Pathogens