Tuesday, November 28, 2023, 3:30 PM, BPB 130
Dr. Shaun Brinsmade, Associate Professor, Department of Biology, Georgetown University
Host: Michel Giovani Santiago-Martinez
Integrating metabolism and virulence in Staphylococcus aureus
Summary: Metabolism fuels infection, and virulence can be thought of as a mechanism to maintain homeostasis. In my talk, I’ll discuss our current work to understand the linkages between bacterial physiology and the production of virulence factors in the model Gram-positive human pathogen Staphylococcus aureus.
About Dr. Brinsmade: Dr. Shaun Brinsmade earned his Bachelors of Science in Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of Connecticut. He was inspired in Dr. Teschke’s Biochemistry course to seek out undergraduate research in Dr. Judy Kelly’s lab. There he worked in the lab to help understand the structure, function, and catalytic mechanism of the D-ala-D-alacarboxypeptidase-transpeptidase. He then moved to the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he earned his PhD with Dr. Jorge Escalante-Semerena in the Dept. of Bacteriology to study bacterial physiology and Acetyl-CoA (Ac-CoA)homeostasis in the Gram-negative pathogen Salmonella enterica. Following his PhD studies, Dr. Brinsmade completed several years of postdoctoral work in the Dept. of Molecular Biology and Microbiology at Tufts Medical with Abraham “Linc” Sonenshein studying regulation of metabolism and virulence genes in Gram-positive bacteria. After training with Linc Sonenshein and a brief training at the ETH-Zürich with systems biologist Uwe Sauer, Dr. Brinsmade opened his own lab in August 2013. Thus, research in the Brinsmade Lab blends multiple fields and work from the last22 years and focuses on the physiological origins and molecular underpinnings of virulence in S. aureus. Dr.Brinsmade attributes his love (and passion!) for biochemistry, genetics, and microbiology in part to the UConn MCB faculty, including Drs Kelly, Knox, Teschke, Kendall, and Leadbetter.
Link to publications:
1.) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36135382/ (relevant for my seminar)
2.) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27116338/ (relevant for my seminar)
3.) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12564922/ (where it all began…at UConn MCB)