Hank Seifert, PhD

Professor of Microbiology-Immunology
Feinberg School of Medicine

Research Interests:
Our laboratory studies the pathogenesis of Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the causative agent of the sexually transmitted disease gonorrhea. This gram-negative bacterium is an obligate human pathogen that has existed within human populations throughout recorded history. We are using a variety of molecular biological, genetic, cell biological and biochemical techniques to investigate the molecular mechanisms controlling gonococcal infection, define mechanisms and pathways of DNA recombination, replication and repair in this human specific pathogen, study the interactions between gonococci and human cells, tissues and the innate immune system, and determine how the pilus functions to help mediate genetic transfer and pathogenesis. Our goal is to discover new mechanisms important for the continued existence of this microbe in the human population to further our understanding of how infectious agents have evolved to specifically infect humans.

Selected Publications:
Criss, A. K. and Seifert, H. S. (2008). Neisseria gonorrhoeae suppresses the oxidative burst of human polymorphonuclear leukocytes. Cell Microbiol 10, 2257-70.

Helm, R. A., Barnhart, M. M. and Seifert, H. S. (2007). pilQ Missense mutations have diverse effects on PilQ multimer formation, piliation, and pilus function in Neisseria gonorrhoeae. J Bacteriol 189, 3198-207.

Sechman, E. V., Kline, K. A. and Seifert, H. S. (2006). Loss of both Holliday junction processing pathways is synthetically lethal in the presence of gonococcal pilin antigenic variation. Mol Microbiol 61, 185-93.

Tobiason, DM & Seifert HS. (2006) The diplococcus, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, is polyploid. PLoS Biology 4: 1069-1078

Stohl, E. A., Criss, A. K. and Seifert, H. S. (2005). The transcriptome response of Neisseria gonorrhoeae to hydrogen peroxide reveals genes with previously uncharacterized roles in oxidative damage protection. Mol Microbiol 58, 520-32.