Publications

2026

Kuwabara JT, Beilinson V, Hargadon AC, Chen GY, Hu Y-M, Ladinsky MS, Hackett KT, Dillard JP, Visick KL, Ruby EG, McFall-Ngai M. 2026. SypC, a symbiont outer-membrane-vesicle protein, impacts the development of the squid-vibrio partnership. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 123: e2524648123. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2524648123. 

Telchy AI, Morgan T, Hackett KT, McMillan RR, Nicholas RA, Dillard JP, Williams D. 2026. MtrR Regulates a Major Lytic Transglycosylase (ltgA) Responsible for Peptidoglycan-Derived Cytotoxin Release and Autolysis in Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Microorganisms 14:474. 10.3390/microorganisms doi: 14020474.

2025

Klimowicz AK, Garcia EM, Jefferson KK, and Dillard JP. 2025. Genetic transformation of Gardnerella species and characterization of vaginolysin and sialidase mutants. Infect Immun. e0029925.

Broadie CO, Telchy AI, Baines AT, Dillard JP, Nicholas RA, Williams D. 2025. Coordinated transcriptional increases in cell wall synthesis genes in Neisseria gonorrhoeae lacking the lytic transglycosylase, LtgA. Curr Microbiol. 82:278 doi: 10.1007/s00284-025-04261-7.

2024

Garcia EM, Klimowicz AK, Edupuganti L, Topf MA, Bhide SR, Slusser DJ, Leib SM, Coddington CL, Matveyev A, Buck GA, Jefferson KK, Pepperell CS, Dillard JP. 2024. Phase-variable colony variants are conserved across Gardnerella spp. and exhibit different virulence -associated phenotypes. mSphere. 9:e00450-24. PMCID:PMC11287997

Garcia, EM, Lenz, JD, Hackett, KT, Schaub RE, Salgado-Pabón W, Dillard, JP. 2024. IL-17C is a driver of damaging inflammation during Neisseria gonorrhoeae infection of human Fallopian tube. Nature Communications. 15: 3756. PMCID: PMC11069574

Harris-Jones TN, Chan JM, Hackett KT, Weyand NJ, Schaub RE, Dillard JP. 2024. Peptidoglycan fragment release and NOD activation by commensal Neisseria species from humans and other animals. Infect Immun. 92:e0000424. doi: 10.1128/iai.00004-24.

2023

Harris-Jones TN, Pérez-Medina KM, Hackett KT, Schave MA, Schaub RE, Dillard JP. 2023. Mutation of mltGincreases peptidoglycan fragment release, cell size, and antibiotic susceptibility inn Neisseria gonorrhoeae. J Bacteriol. 205:e0027723. doi: 10.1128/jb.00277-23 . PMCID: PMC10729727

Schaub RE, Pérez-Medina KM, Tomberg J, Nicholas RA, Dillard JP. 2023. Mutational analysis of LtgC, a lytic transglycosylase required for cell separation in Neisseria gonorrhoeae. bioRxiv 2023.06.20.545760; doi:https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.06.20.545760

Alberge F, Lakey B, Schaub R, Dohnalkova A, Lemmer K, Dillard J, Noguera D, Donohue T. 2023. A previously uncharacterized divisome-associated lipoprotein, DalA, is needed for normal cell division in Rhodobacterales. mBio. mBio01203-23

Youngblom MA, Shockey AC, Callaghan MM, Dillard JP, Pepperell CS. 2023. The Gonococcal Genetic Island defines distinct sub-populations of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Microbial Genomics. https://doi.org/10.1099/mgen.0.000985. PubMed PMID: 37213168

Pensinger D, Gutierrez K, Smith H, Vincent W, Stevenson D, Black K, Perez-Medina K, Dillard JP, Rhee K, Amador-Noguez D, Huynh TA, Sauer JD. 2023. Listeria monocytogenes GlmR is an accessory uridyltransferase essential for cytosolic survival and virulence. mBio. 14(2):e0007323. doi: 10.1128/mbio.00073-23

2022

Chan JM, Hackett KT, Woodhams KL, Schaub RE, Dillard JP. 2022. The AmiC/NlpD pathway dominates peptidoglycan degradation in Neisseria meningitidis and affects cell separation, NOD1 agonist production, and infection. Infect Immun. 90(3). e0048521. doi: 10.1128/IAI.00485-21. PMCID:PMC8929373

2021

Callaghan MM, Koch B, Hackett KT, Klimowicz AK, Schaub RE, Krasnogor N, and Dillard JP, 2021. Expression, localization, and protein interactions of the partitioning proteins in the gonococcal type IV secretion system. Front Microbiol. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2021.784483

Callaghan MM, Klimowicz AK, Shockey AC, Kane J, Pepperell CS, and Dillard JP. 2021. Transcriptional and translational responsiveness of the Neisseria gonorrhoeae type IV secretion system to conditions of host infections. Infect. Immun. 89:e00519-21. doi: 10.1128/IAI.00519-21. PubMed PMID: 34581604.

2020

Koch B, Callaghan MM, Tellechea-Luzardo J, Seeger AY, Dillard JP, Krasnogor N. 2020. Protein interactions within and between two type IV secretion systems. Mol Microbiol. 114:823-38. doi: 10.1111/mmi.14582.

Lemmer KC, Alberge F, Myers KS, Dohnalkova AC, Schaub RE, Lenz JD, Imam S, Dillard JP, Noguera DR, Donohue TJ. 2020. The NtrYX two-component system regulates the bacterial cell envelope. mBio. 11:e00957-20. doi: 10.1128/mBio.00957-20

Williams AH, Wheeler R, Deghmane AE, Santecchia I, Schaub RE, Hicham S, Moya Nilges M, Malosse C, Chamot-Rooke J, Haouz A, Dillard JP, Robins WP, Taha MK, Gomperts Boneca I. 2020. Defective lytic transglycosylase disrupts cell morphogenesis by hindering cell wall de-O-acetylation in N. meningitidis. Elife. 9. pii: e51247. doi: 10.7554/eLife.51247. PMID: 32022687

Voter AF, Callaghan MM, Tippana R, Myong S, Dillard JP, Keck JL. 2020. Antigenic variation in Neisseria gonorrhoeae occurs independently of RecQ-mediated unwinding of the pilE G quadruplex. J Bacteriol202:e00607-19

2019

Schaub RE, Perez-Medina KM, Hackett KT, Garcia DL, Dillard JP. 2019. Neisseria gonorrhoeae PBP3 and PBP4 facilitate NOD1 agonist peptidoglycan fragment release and survival in stationary phase. Infect Immun. 87(2). pii: e00833-18. doi: 10.1128/IAI.00833-18. PMID:30510100

2018

Lenz JD, Shirk KA, Jolicoeur A, Dillard JP. 2018. Selective inhibition of Neisseria gonorrhoeae by a dithiazoline in mixed infections with Lactobacillus gasseri. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 62(12). pii: e00826-18. doi: 10.1128/AAC.00826-18. PMID:30275084

Obergfell KP, Schaub RE, Priniski LL, Dillard JP, Seifert HS. 2018. The low-molecular-mass penicillin-binding proteins DacB and DacC combine to modify peptidoglycan crosslinking and allow stable Type IV pilus expression in Neisseria gonorrhoeae. 2018. Mol Microbiol. doi: 10.1111/mmi.13955. PMID:29573486

2017

Lenz, JD, Hackett KT, Dillard JP. 2017. A single dual-function enzyme controls the production of inflammatory NOD agonist peptidoglycan fragments by Neisseria gonorrhoeae. mBio 8: e01464-17. PMCID: PMC5646250 DOI: 10.1128/mBio.01464-17

Knilans, KJ, Hackett KT, Anderson JE, Weng C, Dillard JP, and J. A. Duncan. 2017. Neisseria gonorrhoeae lytic transglycosylases LtgA and LtgD reduce host innate immune signaling through TLR2 and NOD2. ACS Infect. Dis. DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.6b00088

Ragland SA, Schaub RE, Hackett KT, J. P. Dillard, and Criss AK. 2017. Two lytic transglycosylases in Neisseria gonorrhoeae impart resistance to killing by lysozyme and human neutrophils. Cell. Microbiol.19:e12662. PMCID: PMC5303151.

2016

Schaub RE, Chan YA, Lee M, Hesek D, Mobashery S, and Dillard JP. 2016. Lytic transglycosylases LtgA and LtgD perform distinct roles in remodeling, recycling, and releasing peptidoglycan in Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Mol. Microbiol. 102:865-81. PMCID: PMC5463997

Harrison OB, Clemence M, Dillard JP, Tang CM, Trees D, Grad YH, and Maiden MC. 2016. Genomic analyses of Neisseria gonorrhoeae reveal an association of the gonococcal genetic island with antimicrobial resistance. J. Infect. 73:578-587. PMCID: PMC5127880

Chan JM, and Dillard JP. 2016. Neisseria gonorrhoeae crippled its peptidoglycan fragment permease to facilitate toxic peptidoglycan monomer release. J. Bacteriol. 198:3029-PMCID: PMC5055606 Highlighted by ASM http://mbioblog.asm.org/mbiosphere/2016/08/the-inflammatory-nature-of-a-bad-recycler.html

Lenz JD, Stohl EA, Robertson R, Hackett KT, Fisher K, Xiong K, Lee M, Hesek D, Mobashery S, Seifert HS, Davies C, and Dillard JP. 2016. Amidase activity of AmiC controls cell separation, stem-peptide release, and is enhanced by NlpD in Neisseria gonorrhoeae. J. Biol. Chem. 291:10916-33. PMCID: PMC4865936

Andrade WA, Agarwal S, Mo S, Shaffer SA, Dillard JP, Schmidt T, Hornung V, Fitzgerald KA, Kurt-Jones EA, Golenbock DT. 2016. Type I Interferon Induction by Neisseria gonorrhoeae: Dual Requirement of Cyclic GMP-AMP Synthase and Toll-like Receptor 4. Cell Rep. 15:2438-2448. PMCID: PMC5401638

Bhoopalan SV, Piekarowicz A, Lenz JD, Dillard JP, and Stein DC. 2016. NagZ triggers gonococcal biofilm disassembly. Sci Rep. 6:22372. PMC4772129

2015

Stohl EA, Lenz JD, Dillard JP, and Seifert HS. 2015. The gonococcal NlpD protein facilitates cell separation by activating peptidoglycan cleavage by AmiC. J. Bacteriol. 198:615-22

Krasity BC, Troll JV, Lehnert EM, Hackett KT, Dillard JP, Apicella MA, Goldman WE, Weiss JP, and McFall-Ngai MJ. 2015. Structural and functional features of a developmentally lipopolysaccharide-binding protein. mBio.6:e01193-15

Ramsey ME, Bender T, Yamamoto A, Klimowicz AK, Jolicoeur A, Wassarman KM, van der Does C, and Dillard JP. 2015. Targeted mutagenesis of intergenic regions in the Neisseria gonorrhoeae gonococcal genetic island reveals multiple regulatory mechanisms controlling type IV secretion. Mol. Microbiol.  97:1168-85

2014

Pachulec E, Siewering K, Bender T, Heller E-M, Salgado-Pabón W, Schmoller SK, Woodhams KL, Dillard JP,and van der Does C. 2014. Functional analysis of the gonococcal genetic island of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. PLoS One. 9:e109613

Ramsey ME, Hackett KT, Bender T, Kotha C, van der Does C, and Dillard JP. 2014. TraK and TraB are conserved outer membrane proteins of the Neisseria gonorrhoeae type IV secretion system and are expressed at low levels in wild-type cells. J. Bacteriol. 196:2954-2968

2013

Woodhams KL, Chan JM, Lenz JD, Hackett KT, and Dillard JP. 2013. Peptidoglycan fragment release from Neisseria meningitidis. Infect. Immun. 81:3490-3498.  Note: Spotlight selection by the editors: http://iai.asm.org/content/81/9/3059.

Kohler PL, Chan YA, Hackett KT, Turner N, Hamilton HL, Cloud-Hansen KA, and Dillard JP. 2013. Mating-pair formation homologue TraG is a variable membrane protein essential for contact-independent type IV secretion of chromosomal DNA by Neisseria gonorrhoeae. J. Bacteriol. 195:1666-1679

2012

Jain S, Zweig, Peeters ME, Siewering K, Hackett KT, Dillard JP, and van der Does C. 2012. Characterization of the Single Stranded DNA binding protein SsbB encoded in the Gonococcal Genetic Island. PLoS One 7:e35285

Woodhams KL, Benet ZL, Blonsky SE, Hackett KT, and Dillard JP. 2012. Prevalence and detailed mapping of the gonococcal genetic island in Neisseria meningitidis. J. Bacteriol. 194:2275-2285

Stohl EA*, Chan YA* (co-first author), Hackett KT, Kohler PL, Dillard JP, and Seifert HS. 2012. The Neisseria gonorrhoeae virulence factor NG1686 is a bifunctional M23B family metallopeptidase that influences resistance to hydrogen peroxide and colony morphology. J. Biol. Chem. 287:11222-11233

Ramsey ME, Hackett KT, Kotha C, and Dillard JP. 2012. New complementation constructs for inducible and constitutive expression in Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Neisseria meningitidis. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 78:3068-3078

2011

Ramsey ME, Woodhams KL, and Dillard JP. 2011. The gonococcal genetic island and type IV secretion in the pathogenic Neisseria. Front. Microbio. 2:61. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2011.00061

Domínguez NM, Hackett KT, and J. P. Dillard. 2011. XerCD-mediated site-specific recombination leads to loss of the 57 kilobase gonococcal genetic island. J. Bacteriol. 193:377-388

2010

Zola TA, Strange HR, Domínguez NM, J. P. Dillard, and Cornelissen CN. 2010. Type IV secretion machinery promotes TonB-independent intracellular survival of Neisseria gonorrhoeae within cervical epithelial cells. Infect. Immun. 78:2429-37

Salgado-Pabón, W., Du Y, Hackett KT, Lyons KM, Grove Arvidson C, and Dillard JP. 2010. Increased expression of the type IV secretion system in piliated Neisseria gonorrhoeae variants. J. Bacteriol. 192: 1912-1920

2009

Killoran MP, Kohler PL, Dillard JP, and Keck JL. 2009. RecQ DNA helicase HRDC domains are critical determinants in Neisseria gonorrhoeae pilin antigenic variation and DNA repair. Mol. Microbiol. 71:158-171

2008

Cloud-Hansen KA, Hackett KT, Garcia DL, and Dillard JP. 2008. Neisseria gonorrhoeae uses two lytic transglycosylases to produce cytotoxic peptidoglycan monomers. J. Bacteriol. 190: 5989-5994

Garcia DL, and Dillard JP. 2008. Mutations in ampG or ampD affect peptidoglycan fragment release from Neisseria gonorrhoeae. J. Bacteriol. 190: 3799-3807

2007

Salgado-Pabón W, Jain S, Turner N, van der Does C, and Dillard JP. 2007. A novel relaxase homologue is involved in chromosomal DNA processing for type IV secretion in Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Mol. Microbiol. 66:930-947. Note: Cover illustration, vol 66-4

Kohler, P. L., Hamilton HL, Cloud-Hansen K, and Dillard JP. 2007. AtlA functions as a peptidoglycan lytic transglycosylase in the Neisseria gonorrhoeae type IV secretion system. J. Bacteriol. 189:5421-8

2006

Garcia DL, and Dillard JP. 2006. AmiC functions as an N-acetylmuramyl-L-alanine amidase necessary for cell separation and can promote autolysis in Neisseria gonorrhoeae. J. Bacteriol. 188: 7211-7221. Note: Cover illustration, vol 188, issue 21

2005

Brettin T, Altherr MR, Du Y, Nelson R, Friedrich A, Potter L, Langford C, Keller TJ, Jens J, Howie H, Weyand, Clary NS, Prichard K, Wachocki S, Sodergren E, Dillard JP, Weinstock G, So M, and Grove Arvidson C. 2005. Expression Capable Library for Studies of Neisseria gonorrhoeae, version 1.0. BMC Microbiology 5:50. doi:10.1186/1471-2180-5-50 

Kohler PL, Cloud KA, Hackett KT, Beck ET, and Dillard JP. 2005. Characterization of the role of LtgB, a putative lytic transglycosylase in Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Microbiology.151: 3081-8

Dillard JP and Hackett KT. 2005. Mutations affecting peptidoglycan acetylation in Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Neisseria meningitidis. Infect. Immun. 73: 5697-5705

Hamilton HL, Domínguez NM, Schwartz KJ, Hackett KT, and Dillard JP. 2005. Neisseria gonorrhoeaesecretes chromosomal DNA via a novel type IV secretion system. Mol. Microbiol. 55:1704-1721

2004

Cloud KA and Dillard JP. 2004. Mutation of a single lytic transglycosylase causes aberrant septation and inhibits cell separation in Neisseria gonorrhoeae. J. Bacteriol. 186:7811-7814

2002

Cloud KA and Dillard JP. 2002. A lytic transglycosylase of Neisseria gonorrhoeae is involved in peptidoglycan-derived cytotoxin production. Infect. Immun. 70:2752-2757

2001

Hamilton HL, Schwartz KJ, and Dillard JP. 2001. Insertion-duplication mutagenesis of Neisseria: Use in characterization of DNA transfer genes in the gonococcal genetic island. J. Bacteriol. 183:4718-4726

Dillard JP, and Seifert HS. 2001. A variable genetic island specific for Neisseria gonorrhoeae is involved in providing DNA for genetic transformation and is found more often in disseminated infection isolates. Mol. Microbiol. 41:263-277

1998

Laskos L, Dillard JP, Seifert HS, Fyfe J, and Davies JK. 1998. The pathogenic Neisseria contain an inactive rpoN gene and do not utilize the pilE sigma-54 promoter. Gene. 208:95-102

1997

Dillard JP and Seifert HS. 1997. A peptidoglycan hydrolase similar to bacteriophage endolysins acts as autolysin in Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Mol. Microbiol. 25:893-902

1995

Dillard JP, Vandersea MW, and Yother J. 1995. Characterization of the cassette containing genes for type 3 capsular polysaccharide biosynthesis in Streptococcus pneumoniae. J. Exp. Med. 181:973-983

1994

Kelly T, Dillard JP, and Yother J. 1994. Effect of genetic switching of capsular type on virulence of Streptococcus pneumoniae. Infect. Immun. 62:1813-1819

Dillard JP and Yother J. 1994. Genetic and molecular characterization of capsular polysaccharide biosynthesis in Streptococcus pneumoniae type 3. Mol. Microbiol. 12:959-972

1991

Dillard JP, and Yother J. 1991. Analysis of Streptococcus pneumoniae sequences cloned into Escherichia coli: effect of promoter strength and transcription terminators. J. Bacteriol. 173:5105-5109