We are a group of faculty and first year graduate students who are embarking on a travel expedition into the microbial world. Check this site for a description of what we learn and see along the journey. You can also follow us on Twitter! @ClassMicro
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Serendipity and fluorescent D-amino acids
I went to Dr. Michael S. VanNieuwenhze’s seminar about the use of fluorescent D-amino acids (FDAAs) and their use in the study of bacterial cell division. Bacterial cells, unlike mammalian cells, have a cell wall in addition to the cell membrane. That cell wall contains a molecule called peptidoglycan (PG). Peptidoglycan is a polymer of sugars and amino acids. Short chains of amino acids (peptides) link the sugars together to form a mesh like barrier around the inner cell membranes of bacteria.