Research interests

Our research deals with Salmonella enterica, a model organism in bacterial genetics and microbial pathogenesis. We combine classical genetics, molecular biology, single cell analysis, eukaryotic cell culture, and experimental infection of mice.

The main interest of our laboratory is bacterial epigenetics, the study of non mutational mechanisms that generate phenotypic lineages in bacterial populations. Such mechanisms are diverse, ranging from the inheritance of relatively simple feedback loops to the formation of complex self-perpetuating DNA methylation patterns.

DNA methylation-dependent switches under study in our laboratory include: (i) the opvAB operon, which controls lipopolysaccharide structure and plays a role in bacteriophage resistance; (ii) the std operon, which encodes fimbriae and pleiotropic regulators of transcription; and (iii) genes located at Salmonella pathogenicity islands. We are also interested in DNA methylation-independent epigenetic switches that confer non mutational resistance to bile salts, antibiotics, and other antibacterial agents.