Bacterial Cell Wall Degradation (2026-2029)

Bacteria have a strong cell wall that protects them from bursting open. In order to grow and multiply, bacteria need to use enzymes called hydrolases that degrade their cell wall locally to create gaps for the insertion of new cell wall material. This project aims to elucidate how bacteria do this without being destroyed by their own dangerous hydrolase enzymes. It will generate fundamental knowledge about how hydrolases degrade the cell wall, how bacteria control their hydrolases and how this control fails under stress conditions. The project can use this knowledge to optimise cell wall degradation in bacteria used for the production of biomolecules in Australia¿TM)s biotechnology sector.