Date/Time
Date(s) - 03/29/2010
5:00 pm - 6:00 pm

Antimicrobial Peptides (AMPs) are universal host defense molecules in all life forms, ranging from bacteria, plants, animals, including humans. Our Antimicrobial Peptide Database (APD, http://aps.unmc.edu/AP/main.html) has collected 1528 such peptides, primarily from natural sources. Although they can adopt a variety of 3D structures, AMPs appear to share a common feature of being amphipathic. Such a structure is ideal to bind bacterial membranes, a promising target for developing a new generation of antimicrobials that overcome resistance problem with traditional antibiotics. In this lecture, I will focus on a critical antimicrobial peptide from humans with an emphasis on the identification and structural studies of major antibacterial, anticancer, and anti-HIV regions. The 3D structure of intact LL-37 determined by 3D NMR spectroscopy will also be discussed.

Dr. Guangshun Wang obtained his Ph.D. in Biophysical Chemistry in 1997 from Simon Fraser University (Canada) and did his postdoc training in National High Field Magnetic Lab and National Institutes of Health.  In 2002, he became an assistant professor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (Omaha, Nebraska).  His research has focused on host defense antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) and membrane proteins.  Dr. Wang has published 46 journal papers, edited one book, and authored several patents.  He currently serves as an editor for the Open Journal of Magnetic Resonance and sits on the editorial board of the Open Spectroscopy Journal.