"Cell Envelope Elongation in Gram Negative Bacteria."

This PhD project aims to increase knowledge of a complex of proteins found in Gram-Negative bacteria responsible for cell elongation and rod shape, known as the elongasome. This complex is primarily responsible for the biosynthesis of an extracellular polymer called peptidoglycan that provides strength, rigidity and shape to all bacterial cells. Previously we have thought of these cellular structures in isolation, but the peptidoglycan polymer is found between the bacteria inner and outer membranes and it's biosynthesis must be coordinated with the formation of these structures as well. In this project we will explore the connection and coordination of peptidoglycan biosynthesis with phospholipid balance systems of Gram-Negative bacteria, to understand the biological function of these complexes in the context of overall cell envelope elongation. The expansion of these topics hopes to contribute to a coherent theory for membrane-peptidoglycan synthesis regulation during cell growth.
This PhD aims to expand the knowledge of both systems in the context of in vivo cell envelopes, to see how these systems might interact and enable the cell envelope to grow without membrane disruption or disorganisation, caused by disfunction of membrane-peptidoglycan growth synchronisation.