Programs: Microbiology

Members of the microbiology group study microorganisms and the molecular mechanisms used by microorganisms that affect human health and disease. The different research programs include: the study of bacterial gene function, expression, and regulation (molecular genetics), the study of viruses (virology), how they function inside cells and how viruses cause cancer, the study of the immune system (immunology) as regards ageing as well as the immune response in association with nutritional therapy, the study of disease-causing bacteria (pathogenic microbiology), including toxin production and the mechanism of bacterial invasion of tissue cells, vaccine development to protect individuals against such things as West Nile virus (a combination of immunology, virology and pathogenic microbiology), the study of bacterial protein structure and function in association with cystic fibrosis (structural biochemistry and pathogenic microbiology), and the study of nematode gene homologues of dysfunctional human genes that lead to polycystic kidney disease (developmental microbiology and molecular genetics). Training of graduate students and post-doctoral scientists in the group is multi-disciplinary and includes genetics, crystallography, structural and functional biochemistry, microscopy, vaccine development and cellular biology including signal transduction, and immunoregulatory molecules and their receptors.

T cell activation, cell signaling, adhesion molecules
Dr. Steve Benedict

Regulation of cell shape in nematode tubule formation
Dr. Matthew Buechner

Molecular virology and pathogenesis of herpes simplex virus
Dr. David Davido

Transcription regulation, Development of novel anti-bacterial agents
Dr. Susan Egan

Mechanisms of developmental gene regulation and pathogenesis for Chlamydia
Dr. P. Scott Hefty

Structural and functional analysis of enzymes associated with iron uptake
Dr. Audrey Lamb

Redundancy in the genome and genetic mechanisms of organismal morphogenesis
Dr. Erik Lundquist

Mitosis, gamma-tubulin function, cell cycle regulation and fungal secondary metabolites
Dr. Berl R. Oakley

Autoimmunity; Development of specific therapeutic reagents for treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)
Dr. Dean Stetler

The structural basis of assembly, dynamics and function of molecular complexes by using X-ray crystallography and electron cryo-microscopy as primary techniques
Dr. Liang Tang

Anti-foreign genome responses mediated by RNAi
Dr. Lisa Timmons