Presenter: Dr. Luo Zhao-qing

University: Purdue University，USA

Time: 14:00-15:00, December 2, 2011

Venue: A203, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Abstract: The intracellular pathogen Legionella pneumophila injects hundreds of effectors into host cells. These virulence factors actively modulate various host processes to create a niche permissive for bacterial replication in phagocytic cells. AMPylation is an emerging signaling mechanism often mediated by Fic (filamentation-induced by c-AMP) domain proteins. We recently found L. pneumophila reversibly AMPylates a host protein with specific enzymes, revealing that this posttranslational modification is in parallel with other well established signaling mechanisms. Further, we have expanded the catalytic capacity of Fic domain proteins by demonstrating a phosphorylcholine transferase activity associated with a Legionella effector. The implications of these findings in signal transduction in eukaryotic cells will be discussed.