Gary M. Dunny, Principal Investigator

Modeling the Structure of the PrgZ Pheromone Binding Protein

The objective of this research is to use computer modeling to formulate the structure of the PrgZ protein of Enterococcus faecalis. This bacterial cell surface protein functions to bind the peptide sex pheromone cCF10 in order to initiate a bacterial mating response. The researchers are using a Salmonella typhimurium protein called OppA as a template for the modeling. This protein has a similar function, and its crystal structure has already been determined. PrgZ shares 40–50% of its amino acid sequence with OppA. The researchers are using the Basic Sciences Computing Laboratory for their modeling work.