People Type: Lab Staff

Reagan Clausen is studying the N. gonorrhoeae enzyme NlpC. Our data suggest that NlpC is an endopeptidase that acts to produce peptidoglycan fragments that activate NOD2 responses in human cells and lead to damaging inflammation. In addition, NlpC is essential for gonococcal survival. It is unclear why NlpC should be essential, as the bacteria have multiple ways …

Richard Gui is analyzing the interactions of N. gonorrhoeae with Gardnerella species. It is known that patients with BV are more likely to acquire N. gonorrhoeae infection and patients with gonococcal cervicitis are more likely to develop BV, but the mechanisms involved are not known. Our previous work found that Gardnerella vaginalis survival in vitro is aided by the presence of N. gonorrhoeae and that …

Zaira Malloy-Salgado is making mutations in Gardnerella vaginalis and Gardnerella pickettii to identify factors needed for infection of human cervix tissue. Zaira is working on adherence factors including FIVAR repeat fibronectin-binding proteins, GA-module proteins, and pili. She is working to create a Gardnerella strain that produces antigenic proteins that will induce protective responses while not producing an active toxin or certain …

Rebecca Montgomery, PhD, is working on multiple projects to understand N. gonorrhoeae and Gardnerella species infections. She has cloned several human male urethral epithelial cell lines and is characterizing them for infection with each of the pathogenic bacterial species and determining how those species affect infection by the others. In addition, she is characterizing the mechanisms of ciliated cell …

Andrew Moysis is working to understand how cell wall metabolism affects growth of N. gonorrhoeae in a biofilm. Gonococcal biofilms are seen in clinical samples, and gonococci make impressively-large microcolonies that can be seen moving across host cells using twitching motility. Such biofilms are known to include endotoxin and DNA, but information on peptidoglycan is limited. Andrew …