Tag: Genetics, Genomics and Cell Biology of Infection

Parasite life history strategies within the host, especially the timing of replication and transmission, influence disease severity and spread. I study how subtle differences in ecology within and outside the host can generate dramatic differences in parasite strategies. My research program uses two major approaches: Building ecologically-detailed models to ask when and why particular strategies […]

My group studies cell envelope stress responses of Gram-negative pathogens. We are defining regulatory pathways and functional networks of enzymes involved in cell wall degradation, modification and synthesis as well as factors required for upholding outer membrane barrier function. We seek to understand these processes to gain insight into the mechanistic underpinnings of cell growth […]

The main focus of our research program is to elucidate key mechanistic components in enveloped viruses and their host cells that: 1) mediate viral entry into cells, 2) elicit cell immune responses, and 3) mediate viral egress from cells. These studies are leading to the development of diagnostic tools, new techniques, antiviral agents, and vaccines. […]

Numerous studies demonstrate that vector-borne pathogens, such as viruses, influence host characteristics that result in altered host-vector interactions and enhanced virus transmission. We seek to determine the molecular mechanisms that underlie this phenomenon and use this knowledge to develop innovative control strategies using genetic and biochemical approaches. Current focuses are on changes in plant signaling […]

The Whittaker lab has a new paper out in mBio that looks deeper into coronaviruses and their relationship to the superfamily Musteloidea. PAPER:  https://mbio.asm.org/content/12/1/e02873-20  

Assoc. Prof. Teresa Pawlowska discusses her lab’s work on food safety and fungi. The full text of the Cornell Chronicle story is below. CORNELL CHRONICLE STORY By Krishan Ramanujan A new grant will investigate how bacteria that live inside the cells of fungi may shape the biology, evolution, biodiversity and function of these fungi – […]

Prof. Corrie Moreau talks about digitizing the Cornell University Insect Collection. The full article appears below. CALS ARTICLE By Krishna Ramanujan As director and head curator of the Cornell University Insect Collection, Corrie Moreau has numerous tasks on her to-do list, including one that could last her entire career: digitizing the collection’s 7 million specimens. Digitization is a […]

The John Helmann lab has a new paper out, “A regulatory pathway that selectively up-regulates elongasome function in the absence of class A PBPs” in eLife.  LINK TO PAPER: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32897856/

Associate Professor Clare Casteel (SIPS) has a paper out in Nature Plants, in collaboration with labs at UC Davis: “Organic management promotes natural pest control through altered plant resistance to insects” PAPER:  https://www.nature.com/articles/s41477-020-0656-9.epdf

Fast evolving RNA viruses, such as rotavirus, influenza virus, human immunodeficiency virus, and zika virus, are a leading cause of death worldwide and represent a major challenge for global disease control. Despite their small genome size, often comprised of only a few thousand nucleotides and a handful of genes, it remains exceedingly difficult to study […]