Advances in Immunology and Microbiology Seminar Series
About the event
Featuring research in the areas of:
Epidemiology | Infectious Disease | Disease Ecology | Drug Discovery | Virology |
Global Health | Vector-Borne Disease | Pathology
The Advances in Immunology & Microbiology seminar series is a weekly forum that brings together scientists from diverse fields and disciplines across the College of Veterinary Medicine to discuss research advances in the broad areas of immunology, microbiology, infectious diseases, and global health. Seminars feature student speakers from the Immunology & Infectious Disease (IID) doctoral program, IID-affiliated postdoctoral researchers and faculty, intramural speakers from across the university, and extramural speakers.
Featured intramural trainee
Charles Egede Ugwu, PhD candidate, Paul G. Allen School for Global Health, (Advisor: Anders Omsland)
TITLE: Defining the Mechanism of Glucose Phosphorylation in Coxiella burnetii and Investigating the Role of Glucose in the Pathogen’s Small Cell Variant (SCV) to Large Cell Variant (LCV) Transition
ABSTRACT: Coxiella burnetii (Cb) is a Gram-negative obligate intracellular bacterium that causes query (Q) fever in humans and coxiellosis in livestock. While the glycolytic pathway is largely conserved in Cb, the canonical enzyme for glucose phosphorylation (hexokinase) is not encoded in the genome. Our research seeks to define the mechanism for glucose phosphorylation and understand the role of glucose in the pathogen’s transition from the non-replicative Small Cell Variant (SCV) to the replicative Large Cell Variant (LCV). Because CO2 is critical for the initiation of replication, we are investigating a novel mechanism for glucose phosphorylation aided by CO2 metabolism. Our analysis has revealed that limiting glucose conditions impair Cb initiation of replication in axenic media and Vero cells. Our findings may also set the stage for future research on selectively interfering with Cb glucose phosphorylation as a strategy to inhibit pathogen replication in the mammalian host organisms.
Upcoming Seminars
- November 20 – Dr. Steven Edmonds, PhD candidate & Pathology Resident, AND Dr. Colleen Lynch, PhD Candidate & Pathology Resident
- December 4 – Brittany Genera, PhD candidate AND Dr. Hayley Masterson, PhD candidate & Pathology Resident