Helen Wing
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Expertise
Bacterial Pathogenesis, Bacterial Gene Regulation, Antimicrobial Compounds, Bacterial Genetics
Additional Information
The primary focus of my research laboratory is virulence gene expression in the bacterial pathogen Shigella flexneri, the causal agent of bacillary dysentery, which is estimated to kill more than one million people each year. We are interested in the environmental cues, the timing and the molecular events that trigger the expression of virulence genes. We are particularly interested in the complex interplay between proteins that facilitate the packaging of DNA into tiny cells, and those that regulate the first step of gene expression (transcription). In a separate collaborative project we study the honeybee pathogen Paenibacillus larvae, the causal agent of American Foulbrood and antimicrobial peptides found in honeybees.
