Daiana Capdevila, doctor in chemistry and scientist in charge of the biophysical chemistry laboratory for infectious diseases at the Leloir Institute, gave a seminar for the members of the Center for Research in Bionanosciences (CIBION) on April 14.
During a talk entitled "Metalostasis and homeostasis of reactive sulfur species in bacteria", the professor explained that transcriptional regulation in bacterial pathogens allows rapid adaptation to the adverse conditions imposed by the human host through the response to changes in the concentration of specific chemical species within cells. In this sense, he stressed that his interest and that of his work team is focused on the study of one-component transcriptional regulators that detect a wide range of inorganic species, from transition metals to reactive sulfur species.
Furthermore, Capdevila explained that reactive sulfur species (RSS) accumulate in bacterial cells when the concentration of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) increases. The homeostasis of these species emerges as a determining factor in the survival of bacterial pathogens in the human host. While transition metal responsive transcriptional regulators form coordination complexes, RSS/H2S responsive regulators form polysulfide bridges between cysteines. Thus, the scientist presented recent results on the mechanism of these transcriptional regulators and discussed their relevance in the successful colonization of bacterial pathogens.
About the speaker
Daiana Capdevila completed her postdoctoral studies at the Department of Chemistry at Indiana University, United States, under the direction of Professor David Giedroc. In turn, he obtained his doctorate in chemistry at the Department of Inorganic, Analytical and Physical Chemistry of the University of Buenos Aires.
She is the author of more than 30 publications and was recently distinguished with the Loreal - UNESCO - CONICET prize for women in science.
