Microbiology and Infectious Disease
Microbes rule our world. Faculty in BMB study bacteria, archaea, viruses, and eukaryotic parasites, and investigate how these organisms impact everything from the environment to human health.
Dr. Babitzke's Research Interest: Regulation of gene expression
by RNA structure and RNA-binding proteins.
Dr. Bisanz's Research Interest: The structure and function
of the microbiome and its impacts on health and disease.
Dr. Booker's Research Interest: Elucidating the chemical
mechanisms by which enzymes containing iron-sulfur clusters
catalyze chemical reactions.
Dr. Bryant's Research Interest: Genomics, structural and
functional relationships, metabolism, physiology and ecology
of chlorophototrophic bacteria.
Dr. Hafenstein's Research Interest: A structural approach to
learn more about viral infectivity, tropism, evolution and
pathogenicity.
Dr. Jose's Research Interest: The understanding of the molecular
mechanisms involved in the replication and assembly of
flaviviruses and alphaviruses.
Dr. Keiler's Research Interest: Protein quality control, ribosome
rescue, and new antibiotics.
Dr. Lindner's Research Interest: The coupling of molecular
parasitology and structural biology to study the malaria
parasite.
Dr. Llinás' Research Interest: The combination of tools from
functional genomics, molecular biology, computational biology,
biochemistry, and metabolomics to understand the fundamental
molecular mechanisms underlying the development of this
parasite.
Dr. Miyashiro's Research Interest: We use microbial genetics,
biochemistry, and cell biology approaches to determine the
molecular mechanisms that enable bacteria to establish
symbiosis with a eukaryotic host. The model system is the
symbiosis formed between the bioluminescent bacterium Vibrio
fischeri and the Hawaiian bobtail squid Euprymna scolopes.
Our primary interests in this system include quorum sensing,
contact-dependent killing mechanisms, and sulfur metabolism.
Dr. Meredith's Research Interest: Bacterial cell envelope
biosynthesis.
Dr. Murakami's Research Interest: We apply cryo-EM and X-ray
crystallography techniques to reveal three-dimensional structures
of DNA and RNA polymerases for elucidating the mechanisms of
DNA replication and RNA transcription.
Dr. Patterson's Research Interest: Understanding the host-
metabolite-microbiota communication network‚ specifically
how the manipulation of gut microbiota by diet and/or
xenobiotics impacts host metabolites (e.g., bile acids, short
chain fatty acids), their metabolism, and how these co-
metabolites interact with host ligand-activated transcription
factors.
Dr. Paulson's Research Interest: The mechanism of tissue
regeneration using the response to anemia as a model system.
Dr. Szpara's Research Interest: Understanding the consequences
of HSV latency for the neurons that harbor the HSV pathogen
and the search for improved therapeutics using a combination
of virology, neurobiology, next generation sequencing
technologies, and bioinformatics.
Dr. Weinert's Research Interest: The understanding of how
the globin coupled sensor protein family senses oxygen and
transmits the binding signal into downstream events.