While microbial competition during infection has most often been examined at the genus or species level [1, 2], the dissertation work described herein asked whether interstrain competition plays an important role in determining which bacterial lineages emerge to cause disease. The goal of this dissertation was to examine the strain...
Neisseria gonorrhoeae (Ng), a strict human pathogen, is the sole causative agent of gonorrhea. Gc possess a complex gene conversion system, the pilin antigenic variation system, (pilin Av), which alters the DNA sequence of the major pilin, PilE. Pilin Av results in the constant alteration of the surface exposed appendage,...
Harnessing the metabolic potential of methanotrophic bacteria is a compelling strategy for the bioremediation of environmentally harmful methane gas. Methanotrophs can activate a 105 kcal/mol C-H bond in methane at ambient conditions using metalloenzymes called methane monooxygenases (MMOs). Particulate methane monooxygenase (pMMO) is a copper-dependent, membrane-bound enzyme that is the...