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Bacterial Selenoproteins: A Role In Pathogenesis And Targets For Antimicrobial Development, Sarah Rosario

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Selenoproteins are unique proteins in which selenocysteine is inserted into the polypeptide chain by highly specialized translational machinery. They exist within all three kingdoms of life. The functions of these proteins in biology are still being defined. In particular, the importance of selenoproteins in pathogenic microorganisms has received little attention. We first established that a nosocomial pathogen, Clostridium difficile, utilizes a selenoenzyme dependent pathway for energy metabolism. Following this initial characterization, we demonstrate that this pathway is linked to production of toxins by this organism. Finally, we show that interruption of selenium metabolism is a viable pathway for development of …