Erin O'Donnell
Lipoproteins are bound to the cell membrane through an acylated N-terminal cysteine residue and are present in almost all bacteria. Mammalian innate immune system recognizes lipoproteins for infection defense. Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) recognizes the acylation pattern. Putative Prevotella nigrescens and Clostridium coccoides were isolated, confirmed by 16S rRNA Sanger sequencing, and used to extract lipoproteins by detergent partitioning. The acylation pattern will be determined and tested how they influence the pro-inflammatory TLR2 signaling cascade.