Advisor

José Freire da Silva Neto Professor Doutor – Ms 3Tel.: (16) 3315-3219Email: jfsneto@usp.br» Currículo Lattes » Fapesp

General outline

Our laboratory studies mechanisms of signal transduction and regulation of gene expression in bacteria and how these pathways regulate the physiology and virulence of the opportunistic pathogen Chromobacterium violaceum.

Researchlines

The study of signal transduction pathways and transcription factors has a major impact on understanding how bacteria control various cellular functions such as biofilm production, virulence, antibiotic resistance, and host recognition. More specifically, we use Chromobacterium violaceum, a free-living beta-proteobacteria capable of acting as an opportunistic pathogen in humans, as a model to study the role of transcription factors in virulence. We employ several experimental approaches, such as transposon mutant library scanning, specific mutagenesis, DNA microarrays, and virulence assays in animal models to understand the various aspects of the biology of this organism, including its relationship with the host. Currently, the main lines of research include (I) identification of transcription factors, with a focus on redox regulatory that affect the virulence of C. violaceum and identification of their regulons; (ii) determination of the role of eukaryotic-type kinases/phosphatases (Ser/THR/Tyr kinases) in the regulation of the activity of these transcription factors to understand whether they can integrate different signals (redox and phosphorylation regulation) in virulence control.

Publications

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