Exploring metabolic heterogeneity to find new antibacterial strategies

Speaker: Mattia Zampieri (ETH Zurich)

Host: Hannes Link (IMIT)

Venue:

Online via Zoom

https://zoom.us/my/cmfi.cluster

Abstract:

Heterogeneity between genetically identical bacterial cells can have important functional consequences, like increased survival upon antibiotic treatment. I will present a multiparametric assay that by monitoring phenotypic and metabolic heterogeneity in E. coli unravels the role of metabolism in mediating the propagation of noise in gene expression to phenotypic heterogeneity and suggest potentially attractive targets for combination antibacterial strategies. By linking genetic to drug-induced changes in nearly a thousand metabolites, we propose a new methodology for high-throughput functional annotation of compound libraries.  Finally, I will discuss how the systematic molecular profiling of small molecules interference with metabolism can change how we search for new and unconventional antibacterial agents.