The Daily Bulletin is published by Internal and Leadership Communications, part of University Communications
Contact us at bulletin@uwaterloo.ca
Submission guidelines
Bacteria find ways to whip infections into a frenzy
A transmission electron microscope (TEM) image of isolated flagella from Clostridium haemolyticum. Black dots indicates the location of the newly discovered enzyme. Photograph courtesy of the Doxey Lab.
Researchers have discovered a new class of enzymes in hundreds of bacterial species, including some that cause disease in humans and animals. The discovery provides new insights into how bacteria invade their hosts. The research appeared last week in Nature Communications.
Andrew Doxey, a professor of biology at the University of Waterloo, led the team that found it in a new type of flagella, a whip-like appendage found on the outside of a bacterial cell that propels it. This new type of flagella is capable of digesting proteins in the bacteria’s environment. This discovery updates the long-held view that bacteria use their flagella mostly for movement, and demonstrates that flagella can also function as enzymes, like what happens with the spread of infection.
Doxey made the discovery through the use of bioinformatics, a growing scientific field that combines biology and computer science to study large biological datasets, such as genomes.
“It is an exciting time for bioinformatics right now. We have thousands of genomes available to us and most of them are unexplored. It’s amazing that we can discover new biology by using a computer alone,” said Doxey, who is also cross-appointed to the Cheriton School of Computer Science at Waterloo. “What we found in this case is that many bacteria have repurposed their flagella to function as protein-degrading enzymes. There are thousands of these enzymes, making this potentially one of the largest enzyme structures known.”
Bacterial flagella are filaments composed of around 20,000 proteins that link up together and form structures about 10 micrometers long – roughly one-tenth the width of a human hair. While they can differ structurally, most flagella help with propulsion, and in some cases, they can attach bacteria to host cells. The discovery of flagella as enzymes means that some of them can also break down tough bonds in cells and tissues.
“We think that these enzymatic flagella may help some bacteria degrade and move through viscous environments. Interestingly, scientists have tried engineering flagella with this functionality before, but until now, we didn’t know that nature already did this,” said Doxey, a member of the Centre for Bioengineering and Biotechnology at Waterloo.
To test whether these new enzymatic flagella are active, scientists examined Clostridium haemolyticum, a pathogen that’s highly fatal in cows and sheep, and isolated the flagella. This pathogen has numerous flagella on one cell. They found that the flagella are capable of breaking down proteins found in cow liver — precisely where the organism infects.
The researchers also found the enzymes in bacteria that inhabit the human gut. Further research is needed to determine whether they play a beneficial or harmful role in humans.
The enzyme may improve understanding of how this organism and related pathogens cause disease. There may be ways of using these enzymes in biotechnology to degrade things we want to break down, including biofilms, sticky colonies of harmful bacteria. They are associated with more than 80 per cent of infections.
The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research funded the work. It was a collaborative effort with the Christopher M. Overall lab of the University of British Columbia, John Austin of Health Canada, and the labs of Todd Holyoak and Trevor Charles, also biology professors at Waterloo.
Minimum wage increase on the horizon
Minimum wage rates in Ontario are increasing effective October 1, 2017, which affects certain campus employee paygroups as follows:
| Minimum wage rate | Current wage rates | Effective October 1, 2017 |
|---|---|---|
| General Minimum Wage – applies to most employees | $11.40 | $11.60 |
| Student Minimum Wage – applies to students under the age of 18 who work 28 hours a week or less when school is in session, or work during a school break or summer holidays | $10.70 per hour | $10.90 per hour |
| Liquor Servers Minimum Wage – applies to employees who serve liquor directly to customers or guests in licensed premises as a regular part of their work | $9.90 per hour | $10.10 per hour |
Information is located on the Human Resources website including a link to the government’s website.
"The majority of our employees are not impacted by this change; however, there may be some employees where attention will be required by managers to ensure compliance," says a memo from Human Resources. "Please be aware of this change when hiring employees on a temporary contract. Users of the Casual Time Entry System (CTES) should also keep in mind the new legislation to ensure employees are paid compliantly."
Please direct any questions to hrhelp@uwaterloo.ca.
Conference had students examine their professional futures
Author and entrepreneur Stuart Knight speaks at the Professional Futures conference.
The School of Accounting and Finance (SAF) hosted its annual Professional Futures Conference (PFC) on Tuesday September 5 and Wednesday September 6 for 2A students in the Accounting and Financial Management, Math/CPA, Biotech/CPA, and Computing and Financial Management programs.
Award winning entrepreneur and critically acclaimed author Stuart Knight returned this year to deliver the event’s keynote “Four Conversations for Success”. The two-day event hosted at Bingeman’s Conference Centre and at the School of Accounting and Finance, focused on preparing SAF students for their first co-op job search this Fall and for a successful co-op employment experience this Winter.
PFC is the second of two major professional development events SAF students participate in. Building on the learning from the Launch Your Career Conference in 1A, PFC encourages SAF students to explore different career pathways and the experiences that shape them, identify their transferable skills, navigate the job search process and experience a mock interview with industry professionals.
Students met with SAF Alumni to learn about where there SAF experiences have taken them. Dinesh Balakrishnan, a graduate of the School’s Masters of Accounting program, and now an active accounting and finance recruiter, offered advice on how to nail the interview and get that first job!
SAF would like to thank all the staff, faculty, speakers, and volunteers who made PFC 2017 a success. The School is now looking ahead to welcoming all 1A SAF students to Launch Your Career on Saturday, September 30, and introducing these students to the exciting professional experiences they will encounter in first year as they begin their professional journey as a SAF student.
Tuesday's notes
Construction has started at the Dana Porter and Davis Centre Libraries. "Your Library may be a bit noisier than usual, but free earplugs are available at both circulation desks for your studying pleasure," says a statement from the Library. "Visit the Library’s renovation site to learn about all the great changes coming in 2018!"
A collection of paintings that honour the University, its 6 faculties, schools and affiliated institutions on the occasion of its 60th anniversary will be hanging for a limited time at the University Club. They will be available for viewing from Tuesday September 19 until the afternoon of Friday September 22. The painting featured at right represents the University and its federated and affiliated institutions.
The paintings were created by Dr. Wendy Fletcher, Renison University College's President and Vice-Chancellor as a gift from Renison to the University. The paintings will be shipped to Hong Kong for an exhibit at the Art Beatus Gallery, running from November 1 to 9 before they are auctioned as part of the Hong Kong 60th Anniversary Alumni Gala in support of student bursaries.
The Ideas Clinic, Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, and Electrical and Computer Engineering departments are launching EngCon, a new student convention focused on design projects.
The goal is to facilitate better design projects by bringing Waterloo Engineering undergraduate students together with speakers, workshops, resources, suppliers, and other opportunities in one place. It will take place this year on Saturday, September 23 on the main campus. This inaugural event is aimed at 3rd- and 4th-year MME and ECE undergrad students. However, all Waterloo Engineering students are welcome. Sessions will include:
- Basic and advanced skill-building workshops,
- Talks and panel discussions on various topics relevant to design projects,
- Project idea pitches, and
- a mixer for students to pitch ideas to industry representatives, alumni, and instructors.
Exhibitors will also be showing off products and services that may be useful to students working on design projects. For more information on the conference, check out the EngCon website.
It doesn't seem quite right to advertise this while we're in the throes of a late-summer heatwave, but here goes: toys are ready for ordering as part of the UWSA’s 29th annual Winterfest, which is being held December 10 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. at Columbia Icefields. "Come out and celebrate the upcoming Holiday Season!" says a note from the UWSA. "Join us for an afternoon of ice skating, snacks, crafts, balloon animals, and, of course, a visit from Santa Claus and his helpers. Everyone is welcome! If you wish your child (13 and under) to receive a gift from Santa, there is a charge of $10.00 per child. The cost for non-UWSA members is $5.00 per adult and $15.00 per child receiving a gift. Check the toy description (PDF), fill out and submit a registration form (PDF), along with payment to the UWSA Office (DC 3603) c/o Catherine Bolger, ext. 33566 by Wednesday, November 1.