Luke Johnson
- Email: dpqh8204@leeds.ac.uk
- Thesis title: Elucidating the molecular mechanisms of periplasmic chaperones in gram-negative bacteria: Novel targets to combat antimicrobial resistance.
- Supervisors: Professor Sheena Radford, Dr Antonio Calabrese
Profile
First year PhD student funded by the White Rose BBSRC DTP.
I am working with Proffesor Sheena Radord, Dr Antonio Calabrese, and Dr Joel Crossley to investigate the dynamics of the ß-barrel assembly machinery (BAM) of diderm bacteria during outer-membrane protein insertion, in hopes of identifying new antimicrobial targets. I am investigating these dynamics through a range of structural and microbiology techniques, with a current focus on single-molecule FRET.
Prior to the start of PhD, I completed an MSci in Biochemistry at the University of Bristol. I undertook my master’s project in the Collinson lab, a collaborator of the Radford lab, where I looked at in vivo interactions between BAM and an inner-membrane chaperone PpiD to collect evidence for the existence of a cross-membrane spanning supercomplex involved in outer-membrane trafficking.
Research interests
- Using single-molecule FRET and other structural techniques to investigate BAM dynamics during folding and insertion.
- Hopefully the indentification of new antibiotic targets in diderm bacteria to combat rising AMR.
Qualifications
- MSci Biochemistry (University of Bristol)