During her PhD studies, Maria Raadkjær Nielsen has studied whether a protein complex can cause bacterial survival in the presence of antibiotics, a survival mechanism called antibiotic tolerance. This protein complex named VapBC belongs to a group of proteins called toxin-antitoxin systems, which can be important for maintaining plasmids and bacterial defense against phages. Maria has investigated the role of VapBC within bacteria and how mutations of this complex can affect its structure, function and how it might be degraded.  

The new research findings contribute to the understanding of the toxin-antitoxin system VapBC, and its role in antibiotic tolerance, through a deeper understanding of how putative tolerance mutations affect the complex.

The PhD study was completed at Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Aarhus University.

This summary was prepared by the PhD student.

Time: Friday, 20^th of June 2025 at 13:00
Place: Building 1324, room 011, Tvillingeauditorium, Aarhus BSS, Aarhus University, Bartholins Allé 10, 8000 Aarhus C.
Title of PhD thesis: Is antibiotic tolerance affected by an overlooked toxin-antitoxin system of Escherichia coli?
Contact information: Maria Raadkjær Nielsen, e-mail: mrn@mbg.au.dk, tel.: +45 22 42 64 01
Members of the assessment committee:
Associate professor Hedvig Tamman, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu, Estonia
Professor Michael Gajhede, Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Professor Esben Lorentzen (chair), Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Denmark
Main supervisor: Professor Ditlev Egeskov Brodersen, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Denmark
Language: The PhD dissertation will be defended in English

The defence is public.
The PhD thesis is available for reading at the Graduate School of Natural Sciences/GSNS, Ny Munkegade 120, building 1521, 8000 Aarhus C