Sebin Kang

In bacterial cells, the outer membrane cells plays a crucial role in protection from antibiotics and harsh environments. The outer membrane consists of various proteins, including lipoproteins such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The LPS has a dynamic structure that changes through gene regulation in response to targeted antibiotics and is stabilized largely by the divalent ion Mg2+. In the intracellular pathogen Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, the two-component system PhoQ/PhoP responds to low Mg2+ conditions by modifying the phospholipid biosynthesis pathway and thus lipid A composition. My research examines how bacteria carry out and benefit from such modifications in response to nutritional stress during host infection.