Events
Public Lecture Series for Secondary School Students – Structure-based Drug Design Targeting Helicobacter pylori
25 Jan 2013
5:30pm – 6:30pm (Light Refreshments from 6:30 pm)
Lecture Theatre 1, Yasumoto International Academic Park
Professor WONG Kam Bo, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science
On-Line Registration:
http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/adm/lecture/sci
Tel: 3943 8947 / 3943 8951
Fax: 2603 5184
E-mail: jupasadm@cuhk.edu.hk
http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/adm
Helicobacter pylori infects half of the human population and is the leading cause for peptic ulcers and stomach cancer. Key to the bacterium’s survival in the acidic environment of the human stomach is its use of an enzyme called urease, which catalyzes the breakdown of urea to neutralize gastric acid. Unlike most other enzymes, urease does not work immediately after being produced by the bacterium. Two nickel ions need to be delivered to activate it. Using X-ray crystallography, we have revealed the molecular structures of three helper proteins UreF, UreH and UreG and how they hook up collectively to assemble a molecular machine that delivers nickel ions to the urease. More importantly, we showed that disrupting the formation of the UreF-UreH-UreG complex can inhibit the synthesis of active urease. As active urease is the key to the survival of H. pylori, we aim to design new drugs that target the UreF-UreH-UreG complex, which will be a novel and viable strategy to eradicate the pathogen.
-in Cantonese
