Proteolytic control of stress response pathways
Pathogens require proteins to survive in harsh environmental conditions and to cause disease. However, the abundance of these proteins must be tightly controlled, especially during the transition to new environments, such as from environmental reservoirs to the mammalian host, where selective removal of key regulatory proteins can be critical for mounting a transcriptional response. Proteases play important roles in regulating protein abundance, both through targeted substrate degradation and by destroying proteins that have misfolded or aggregated as a result of environmental stress.
We are interested in studying mechanisms by which A. baumannii controls turnover of its protein content in response to changing environmental conditions.
How does Acinetobacter baumannii survive on hospital surfaces?
Nosocomial infections caused by the emerging multi-drug resistant pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii frequently occur as a result of patient contact with bacteria persisting on hospital surfaces in a desiccated state.
We are interested in discovering novel mechanisms by which A. baumannii senses and adapts to long-term desiccation stress, as well as the regulatory mechanisms involved in mediating the transition between environmental reservoirs and mammalian hosts.