[Project supported by FrnchBIC] Characterization of the Antimicrobial Activity of Ruminococcin C Peptides
Antimicrobial resistance is a major global health challenge, highlighting the need to identify new antimicrobial agents. The main goal of my PhD is to biochemically characterize and investigate the biological activities of Ruminococcin C (RumC) peptides, a family of five ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs) produced by the human gut commensal bacterium Ruminococcus gnavus E1. Since RumC1 has demonstrated potent antimicrobial activity against several bacterial pathogens, my research also aims to investigate the antimicrobial potential of the other isoforms (RumC2-RumC5).
Thanks to a FrenchBIC grant, I spent one month at the Institute of Molecular Sciences of Marseille (ISM2) in April 2022, where I carried out experiments within the Biosciences team under the supervision of Dr. Mickael Lafond, with the help of Dr. Clarisse Roblin. This visit focused on investigating and comparing the antimicrobial activities of the RumC isoforms and exploring potential synergistic effects. This research contributed to the publication of our findings in iScience in 2023: “Mechanistic and functional aspects of the Ruminococcin C sactipeptide isoforms” (PMID: 37664601).
I am very grateful to FrenchBIC for its financial support and to the Biosciences team at ISM2 for hosting me. This visit was a valuable experience that contributed to the progress of my PhD research.