About
One novel project of our laboratory is to characterize the function of small proteins specifically expressed in nongrowing Salmonella cells. Many of these proteins have a wide phylogenetic distribution in bacteria and eukaryotes and might be involved in central cellular processes. Characterization of these proteins in genetically amenable bacterial systems will provide the opportunity to study conserved mechanisms, which will give insights into complex cellular processes and will potentially identify novel functions that are both physiologically important and of widespread significance in biology. Our current work focuses on small proteins secreted or interacting with membrane proteins or complexes that could modulate membrane permeability and transport and/or contribute to membrane resilience in quiescent bacteria.
