Investigation of the localization of Filamentous temperature sensitive protein Z (FtsZ) in pathogenic E. coli as a biomarker for antibacterial agents.

The problem of antimicrobial resistance is very severe worldwide and new approaches are required to tackle it. Part of the problem in relation to human health is the presence of highly resistant bacteria to small molecule antibiotics in community and hospital settings, leading to delayed treatment outcomes, reinfection or even death. In this project we wish to develop and explore a model system for host-pathogen interaction in the context of bacterial pathogenesis and its utility in the study and discovery on novel antibacterial agents. For this model, we will use E. coli O18:K1:H7, in conjunction with a human cerebral microvascular endothelial cell line (hCMEC/D3) to establish an in-vitro neonatal meningitis model. Our approach will be to monitor the growth of rod-shaped E. coli in this human cell line infection model focussing on the cell division protein FtsZ as a marker for bacterial cell division and growth. We aim to investigate whether the FtsZ or relevant markers go through changes upon bacteriophage application and whether these can be used as biomarkers for novel antimicrobials.