Principal Investigator Brad Pentelute
Anthrax toxin will be used to investigate protein translocation across membranes. We aim to prepare semisynthetic anthrax toxin protein constructs and investigate their translocation properties. These studies, that are only made possible by the use of chemistry, will provide unique mechanistic insights into protein translocation across membranes.
After these novel approaches have been demonstrated to work in the anthrax toxin system, more complicated toxins such as diphtheria toxin, cholera toxin, botulinum neurotoxin, and shiga-like toxin will be investigated. A new knowledge base will be provided from these studies on how to engineer protein toxins for the delivery D-proteins and other novel chemical entities into cells.