Probing Mechanisms of Bacterial Infection through Molecular Dynamics Simulations

Biofilms are colonies of bacteria that thrive and proliferate in the living host causing infection. Inside the living tissue, the bacterial biofilms interact with the host cells through chemicals known as signaling factors. The signaling factors are relatively small polypeptides that have profound effects on the cellular activities of the host. The less understood, complex signaling process determines the survival of either the biofilm or the host cells. This proceeding details the process and preliminary results of the computational study of the translocation of tumor necrosis factor-alpha and granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor signaling factors across a model cell membrane.