Tackling starvation in bacteria: An ultimate metabolic sensor February 14, 2006

INSTITUTE COLLOQUIUM

(Biological Sciences)

INDIAN INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE

Prof.Dipankar Chatterji
Molecular Biophysics Unit

will deliver a lecture

on

Tackling starvation in bacteria: An ultimate metabolic sensor

Tuesday, 14th February 2006
at 4.00 pm

in the Faculty Hall

THE DIRECTOR

will preside

All are cordially invited
Coffee/Tea: 5.00 pm

Venue: Reception Hall

Abstract

The hallmark of bacterial survival is its adaptability through the control
of gene expression according to the demands from surroundings. However, it
is being increasingly understood that there are several players in the
process who are acting in spatial and temporal manner all with one goal in
mind, how to keep the organism alive under most difficult situation. At
times they need to survive under limited oxygen or nutrients, or under the
onslaught from free radicals generated as metabolic byproducts. Therefore
several interesting strategies are adopted, many new proteins or small
molecules are synthesized. A large number of them act on RNA polymerase,
the key enzyme in the central dogma of molecular biology. We will discuss
few of these strategies and show how the problems now can also be
addressed at the single molecule level.