Vibrio cholerae is the causative agent of the potentially life-threatening gastrointestinal disease cholera. Environmental survival and persistence of Vibrio cholerae, is enhanced by the ability of the bacterium to form multi-cellular bacterial communities, known as biofilms.
Currently circulating pandemic strains of Vibrio cholerae, rely heavily on the type IV mannose-sensitive hemagglutinin (MSHA) pilus for environmental biofilm formation.
However, the MSHA pilus has been shown to be detrimental to host colonization and infection, as it serves as a recognition factor for the host immune response. Therefore, deciphering the role and regulation of the MSHA pilus system in facilitating the transition from environmental to host colonization is vital to understanding the pathogenesis of Vibrio cholerae.
Research in The Floyd Lab seeks to:
- Identify and characterize transcriptional regulators that control the expression of msh genes, in response to environmental and host signals.
- Identify the role and significance of MSHA pilus components, and determine their role in MSHA pilus production and dynamics.
- Characterize the role of MSHA pilus dynamics in surface colonization and the initiation of Vibrio cholerae biofilm formation.