The Type VI Secretion System: A Versatile Antimicrobial Weapon Discover how certain bacteria use secretion systems to disable/kill competitors, or target microbial or host eukaryotes! - Free

We are delighted to invite Prof Sarah Coulthurst, a molecular bacteriologist, Wellcome Senior Research Fellow and Chair of Microbial Interactions (School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee) to present this exciting seminar.

Sarah obtained her MSci and PhD in Molecular Microbiology from the University of Cambridge, followed by a short post-doc position. Having then spent two years as a post-doc in Dundee, she established her lab in 2009 in the School of Life Sciences, supported by a Royal Society of Edinburgh Personal Research Fellowship. Subsequently, her work has been supported by Wellcome and her contributions have been recognised by the Microbiology Society Fleming Prize, RSE Patrick Neill medal and election as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. Her research interests include competitive inter-bacterial interactions, particularly those mediated by protein toxins and secretion systems, as well as the interactions of opportunistic pathogens with other organisms more broadly.

Many bacteria utilise the Type VI secretion system (T6SS) to deliver diverse toxic effector proteins into neighbouring cells, allowing them to effectively kill or disable competitor bacteria or, in some cases, to target microbial or host eukaryotes. Sarah's research group studies the mechanism, role and effector repertoire of the T6SS in Serratia marcescens, using this bacterial species as a model opportunistic pathogen with a potent antibacterial and antifungal T6SS. In her seminar, Sarah will discuss some of their recent findings regarding mechanism, versatility and evolution of the T6SS and its effectors – don't miss it!