Dr Lipeng Feng

DNA gyrase, which is an essential enzyme in all bacteria, is a validated target for TB treatment, but resistance to the gyrase-targeted antibiotics (fluoroquinolones, FQs) is a serious problem.

The Maxwell lab’s previous work has shown that MfpA, a pentapeptide-repeat protein in mycobacteria, interacts with gyrase to modulate the activities of gyrase and protect the bacteria against FQs.

Currently, Feng is aimming to identify novel gyrase-interacting proteins using pull-down experiments and mass spectrometry and then investigate their roles in regulation of gyrase.