M-I Dept. Seminar Series / Role of Legionella pneumophila Type IV Pili in Environmental Persistence and Pathogenesis

Title:

Role of Legionella pneumophila Type IV Pili in Environmental Persistence and Pathogenesis

Speaker:

Armando Barajas, Graduate Student, Driskill Graduate Program, Lab of Nicholas Cianciotto, PhD

Legionnaires' disease is a severe form of pneumonia caused by Legionella pneumophila (Lp), an intracellular parasite of amoebae, a constituent of biofilms, and a pathogen that infects macrophages when inhaled into the lungs. Lp possesses type IV pili (T4P), surface appendages often linked to DNA uptake, attachment to biotic and abiotic surfaces, and virulence. We have gained evidence that Lp expresses distinct forms of T4P with different functions, with one set of pili playing an important role in infection. Our work has the potential to not only overturn dogma in the Lp field but add a novel perspective to the broader field’s recently evolving view of T4P.

Host: Nicholas Cianciotto, PhD, Professor

Add Event To My Group

Please sign-in