Alan
R. Hauser, MD, PhD
Assistant
Professor
Northwestern University
Departments of Microbiology/Immunology and Medicine
To Contact Dr. Hauser:
phone: 312-503-1044
e-mail: ahauser@northwestern.edu
Dr. Hauser's website
PubMed
Reference Lookup
Research Interests
P. aeruginosa is a gram-negative
opportunistic pathogen that causes a variety of disease manifestations in
humans. Although many putative P. aeruginosa virulence factors have been identified,
much remains unclear regarding the mechanism by which this bacterium colonizes,
invades, and disseminates within its host.
The laboratory of Dr. Hauser investigates the role of the P.
aeruginosa type III secretion system in virulence. Type III secretion pathways
form needle-like apparatuses that actually inject toxins directly into the
cytoplasm of host cells. They use genetic approaches to understand the role
of these toxins in disease. For example, appropriate bacterial strains are
generated to compare both loss of function and gain of function toxin mutants
with wild-type strains. These mutants allow him and his researchers to discern
interactions of secreted toxins with the host and the consequences of these
interactions. Genetic screens are also employed to identify novel type-III-secreted
proteins. The common theme is to better understand the role of P. aeruginosa
type-III-secreted toxins in disease. Such knowledge will lead to novel therapeutic
approaches to P. aeruginosa infections. In addition, these bacterial factors
may prove to be powerful tools useful in the dissection of eukaryotic cell
signaling pathways.