Large amounts of pathogens have been shown to have the ability to survive in the stressful environment, e.g. the presence of antibiotics. The toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems play a crucial role in helping these pathogenic bacteria overcoming the stressful conditions by inducing the formation of a small fraction of persister cells or by controlling the size of the bacterial population. The features of the TA systems normally depend on the cleavage ability of the toxins on different cellular targets and the neutralization capability of their cognate antitoxins.

During his studies, Kehan Xu focuses on one of the type II TA systems—VapBC TA system. The studies propose a catalytic mechanism of the VapC toxin and also provide a structural insight into how the VapBC TA complex regulates its own operon at an atomic level.

The PhD degree was completed at the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Science and Technology, Aarhus University.

This résumé was prepared by the PhD student.

Time: Monday 18 January 2016 at 13.15
Place: Building 1523, room 318, Gustav Wieds Vej 14, 8000 Aarhus C, Aarhus University
Title of dissertation: Structural studies of the bacterial VapBC toxin-antitoxin system
Contact information: Kehan Xu, kehan@mbg.au.dk, tel.: +45 91947328
Members of the assessment committee:
Professor Maria Selmer, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Uppsala, Sweden
Associate Professor Jan Christiansen, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Associate professor Charlotte Rohde Knudsen (chair), Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Denmark
Main supervisor:
Associate Professor Ditlev E. Brodersen, Department of Molecular Biology and genetics, Aarhus University, Denmark
Language: The PhD dissertation will be defended in English.

The defence is public.
The dissertation is available for reading at the Graduate School of Science and Technology/GSST, Ny Munkegade 120, building 1520, room 128-134, 8000 Aarhus C.