Prof. Dr. sc. nat. Markus Seeger

Area of Research

Description of Research Interest

The unifying theme of my research group is the investigation of membrane transport processes in pathogenic bacteria. We strive to understand the molecular details of how multidrug efflux transporters are pumping antibiotics and other noxious substances out of the bacterial cell and thereby contribute to intrinsic multidrug resistance of pathogenic bacteria. In Mycobacteria, we investigate transport systems that shuttle siderophores and export lipids. Both processes are essential for pathogen virulence.
We combine protein biochemistry, x-ray crystallography, cryo-EM, protein engineering, binder selections, molecular microbiology and bacterial genetics to gain novel insights into the biological function of these largely unexplored transport machineries.

Special Expertise

Biochemistry and structural biology on bacterial membrane transporters
Binder protein engineering and selection (nanobodies, sybodies, synthetic single domain antibodies)