不良研究所

Focus

The research of my laboratory focuses on molecular aspects of the pathogenesis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterial agent responsible for the infectious disease, tuberculosis (TB). Despite the existence of effective antibacterial drugs and a partially effective vaccine for more than half a century, TB still remains the cause of 2 million deaths worldwide each year - the most due to any single infectious agent. This situation reflects very poorly on the current level of understanding of the pathogenic processes associated with this important pathogen.

Although early studies considered TB strains to be restricted in terms of their genetic and antigenic variability, more recent evidence indicates that M. tuberculosis has evolved into several genetically diverse lineages of strains that are likely to possess unique attributes related to the transmission and development of disease. My laboratory utilizes a combination of microbial genetics, biochemistry and whole animal (mouse) in vivo infection studies to investigate the array of metabolic and virulence strategies available to this phenotypically diverse pathogen. Increasing our knowledge and understanding of this diversity will greatly enhance future efforts aimed at developing new strategies to successfully diagnose and treat TB disease.

Keywords

听Tuberculosis, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, molecular microbiology, bacterial pathogenesis

Selected Publications听- 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听

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1. Lee RS, Radomski N, Proulx JF, Manry J, McIntosh F, Desjardins F, Soualhine H, DomenechP, Reed MB, Menzies D & Behr MA (2015).听 Re-emergence and amplification of tuberculosis in the Canadian arctic. The Journal of Infectious Diseases [doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiv011; Epub ahead of print].

2. Domenech P, Rog A, Moolji J, Radomski N, Fallow A, Leon-Solis L, Bowes J, Behr MA & Reed听MB (2014).听 The origins of a 350-kilobase genomic duplication in Mycobacterium听tuberculosis and its impact on virulence.听 Infection and Immunity 82: 2902-2912.

3. Hansen JM, Golchin SA, Veyrier FJ, Domenech P, Boneca IG, Azad AK, Rajaram MV,听Schlesinger LS, Divangahi M, Reed MB & Behr MA (2014).听 N-glycolylated peptidoglycan听contributes to the immunogenicity but not pathogenicity of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The Journal of Infectious Diseases 209: 1045-1054.

4. Albanna AS, Reed MB, Kotar KV, Fallow A, McIntosh FA, Behr MA & Menzies D (2011).听Reduced transmissibility of East African Indian strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.听 PLoS听ONE 6: e25075.

5. Domenech P, Kolly GS, Leon-Solis L, Fallow A & Reed MB (2010).听 Massive gene duplication听event among clinical isolates of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis W/Beijing family. Journal听of Bacteriology 192: 4562-4570.

6. Fallow A, Domenech P & Reed MB (2010).听 Strains of the East Asian (W/Beijing) lineage of听Mycobacterium tuberculosis are DosS/DosT-DosR two-component regulatory system听natural mutants. Journal of Bacteriology 192: 2228-2238.

7. Domenech P & Reed MB (2009).听 Rapid and spontaneous loss of phthiocerol听dimycocerosate (PDIM) from Mycobacterium tuberculosis grown in vitro: implications for听virulence studies.听 Microbiology 155: 3532-3543.

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