Projects
Identification of novel antimicrobial plant peptides and elucidation of their mode of action. KU Leuven
Exploring the three-dimensional structure of antimicrobial peptides through optical activity spectroscopy. University of Antwerp
The ecological role & structure-activity relationship of antimicrobial linear azol(in)e-containing peptides in foodborne human pathogens KU Leuven
Supramolecular structure-function relationships of naturally occurring antimicrobial peptides Ghent University
Very little is known about the structure-function relationship of the class of antimicrobial peptides known as CLPs, short for cyclic lipodepsipeptides. Thanks to recently developed NMR methodology within our lab, we demonstrated that self-assembly of the CLP pseudodesmin A into larger supramolecular, pore-like structures, provides the structural basis to explain its biological activity. To further explore this proposition and provide a more ...
Supramolecular structure-function relationship of naturally occurring antimicrobial peptides. Ghent University
Very little is known about the structure-function relationship of the class of antimicrobial peptides known as CLPs, short for cyclic lipodepepsipeptides. Thanks to recently developed NMR methodology within our lab, we demonstrated that self-assmebly of the CLP pseudodesmin A into larger supramolecular, pore-like structures, provides the structural basis to explain its biological activity. This proposition is further explored in our ...
Supramolecular structure-function relationships of antimicrobial peptides from the viscosin group: a combined approach via synthesis and advanced NMR structure analysis Ghent University
Antimicrobial peptides or AMPs are a potential source of new first line defense antibiotics, which often act through the formation of supramolecular assemblies inside the cell membrane, e.g. by pore formation.
In this mutlidisciplinary project a generic synthesis approach will be developed, allowing the production of analogues featuring a number of modifications in composition and stereochemistry. Using recently developed NMR ...
Unravelling the biological role of novel stress-induced peptides (SIPs) in Arabidopsis thaliana. KU Leuven
Plant peptides accommodate a broad functional diversity ranging from development, growth, fertilization, senescence, cell death, symbiotic interactions to stress tolerance. They act as key components of cell-to-cell communication, interfere with signaling and response pathways, or display antimicrobial activity. Nevertheless, the total number of peptides is largely underestimated and different types of peptides are underexplored. Most plant ...
Mapping the proteostatic collapse caused by aggregation-inducing bactericidal peptides KU Leuven
I was part of the effort to develop a novel class of antibiotics based on the concept that short aggregation-prone regions within the protein sequence drive amyloid-like protein aggregation. I developed antimicrobial peptides called Pept-Ins that trigger an aggregation cascade in bacteria resulting in the formation of inclusion bodies, the collapse of the proteome, and the death of bacteria. Now, my goal is to better understand the ...
Role of linear azol(in)e-containing peptides in the lifestyle of human pathogens KU Leuven
Linear azol(in)e-containing peptides (LAPs) are a rapidly expanding and largely underexplored class of bacterial ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides, many of which exhibit strong antimicrobial activity. Despite their structural similarity, the mode of action and activity spectrum of LAPs show a remarkable diversity of which the structural basis and functional significance is poorly understood. This PhD project ...