OToole Lab News
October 12, 2012
We had two papers related to our study of c-di-GMP signaling in Pseudomonas fluorescens appear online this week.
One of the ongoing projects in the lab is the study of early biofilm formation by the soil microbe Pseudomonas fluorescens. A critical player in early attachment by this microbe is the large secreted protein LapA. Our genetic and biochemical studies are consistent with a role for LapA as an adhesin. A recently published collaborative report with Ivan Ivanov, Mary Schwartz and Terri Camesano at WPI (experts in atomic force microscopy) and Lynne Turnbull, Michael Johnson and Cynthia Whitchurch at the University of Technology in Australia (experts in super-resolution microscopy), and Chelsea Boyd, a Ph.D. student in the lab (pictured), provided direct evidence for the first time that LapA is indeed a cell-surface localized adhesin.
Second, a recent review of c-di-GMP effectors by Chelsea Boyd in the Annual Review of Cellular and Developmental Biology also appeared online this week.
October 08, 2012
Katie Price, a post-doc in the lab, was appointed to the Immunology Training Grant, which will support her work over the coming year. Katie's work involves exploring host-pathogen interactions and host-response in the context of polymicrobial communities in CF. Part of her training will involve active participation in the Immunology Program.
