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We employ tools of biochemistry, genetic engineering, molecular biology, and microbiology to study metabolic processes and stress responses of a variety of bacteria, including pathogens and environmental strains.
Our National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded research examines unique metabolic pathways in Staphylococcus aureus, which cause MRSA infections, in order to find suitable drug targets. We also work with mycobacteria, which include the bacterium, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of tuberculosis.
Our National Science Foundation (NSF) grant involves the study of stress responses in cyanobacteria, the blue-green algae which responsible for the majority of photosynthesis in aquatic ecosystems. We are interested in isolating bacteria from many extreme environments such as Mono Lake which has a pH of 9.5 and salt concentration twice as great as the ocean. Recently, we have started a project on the endophytes of plants to determine if they have any role in the survival of these plants under drought conditions.
Some of the questions that we are interested in are:
How do bacteria cause disease in humans?
How are bacteria able to survive different stresses imposed by the environment, including those in the human host and in places such as dark space and Mars?
What is the role of thiols in bacteria?
What is the role of the microbiome in plant stress tolerance?
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