The Laimins Lab investigates how the transcriptional regulation activity of the TopBP1 scaffold protein influences the human papillomaviruses (HPV) life cycle.
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The Laimins Lab investigates how the transcriptional regulation activity of the TopBP1 scaffold protein influences the human papillomaviruses (HPV) life cycle.
The Hauser Lab investigates the population structure of the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
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The Hauser Lab investigates the population structure of the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
The Walsh Lab studies the central strategies used by poxviruses to control both host and viral protein synthesis.
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The Walsh Lab studies the central strategies used by poxviruses to control both host and viral protein synthesis.
The Cianciotto Lab studies the type II secretion system of Legionella pneumophila, the agent of Legionnaires’ disease.
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The Cianciotto Lab studies the type II secretion system of Legionella pneumophila, the agent of Legionnaires’ disease.
The Naghavi and Walsh Labs study how cytoskeletal regulation contributes to the early stages of viral infection, with a primary focus on retroviruses and herpesviruses.
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The Naghavi and Walsh Labs study how cytoskeletal regulation contributes to the early stages of viral infection, with a primary focus on retroviruses and herpesviruses.
The Longnecker Lab identifies ephrin receptor A4 (EphA4) as a new target cell entry receptor for Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesviru (KSHV).
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The Longnecker Lab identifies ephrin receptor A4 (EphA4) as a new target cell entry receptor for Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesviru (KSHV).

Seminars & Events

Oct
1
Department of Microbiology-Immunology: Alejandro Balazs, PhD
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Oct
8
Department of Microbiology-Immunology: Robert Hogg, PhD
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Oct
9
Department of Microbiology-Immunology: Robert M. Brosh, Jr., PhD
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Oct
15
Department of Microbiology-Immunology: Min Dong, PhD
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Oct
22
Department of Microbiology-Immunology: Jonathan Kipnis, PhD
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Oct
29
Department of Microbiology-Immunology: Victor DiRita, PhD
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Nov
5
Department of Microbiology-Immunology: Jyl Matson, PhD
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Nov
11
Department of Microbiology-Immunology: Mario Feldman
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

News & Awards

07.23.2019Podcast: Vibri-Oh-No! - Flesh Eating Vibrios with Karla Satchell
04.23.2019Study Explores How Pneumonia Strains Compete
02.12.2019Improving Immunotherapy for Chronic Viral Infections
02.12.2019Therapeutic Toxins
02.07.2019Solving Resistance to Emerging Cancer Immunotherapy

Our Department

We investigate mechanisms of bacterial and viral pathogenesis as well as regulation of the immune system. Our faculty members teach graduate, undergraduate and medical students at Northwestern University and the Feinberg School of Medicine. Learn more about us.

Recent Publications

Type II Secretion Promotes Bacterial Growth within the Legionella-Containing Vacuole in Infected Amoebae.
White RC, Truchan HK, Zheng H, Tyson JY, Cianciotto NP.
Infect Immun. 2019 Aug 12. pii: IAI.00374-19. doi: 10.1128/IAI.00374-19. [Epub ahead of print]
Transcriptional initiation of a small RNA, not R-loop stability, dictates the frequency of pilin antigenic variation in Neisseria gonorrhoeae.
Prister LL, Ozer EA, Cahoon LA, Seifert HS.
Mol Microbiol. 2019 Jul 24. doi: 10.1111/mmi.14356. [Epub ahead of print]
Draft Genome Sequence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Strain BWH047, a Sequence Type 235 Multidrug-Resistant Clinical Isolate Expressing High Levels of Colistin Resistance.
Bachta KER, Ozer EA, Pandit A, Marty FM, Mekalanos JJ, Hauser AR.
Microbiol Resour Announc. 2019 Jul 18;8(29). pii: e00623-19. doi: 10.1128/MRA.00623-19.
Genome-wide CRISPR screens reveal genetic mediators of cereblon modulator toxicity in primary effusion lymphoma.
Patil A, Manzano M, Gottwein E.
Blood Adv. 2019 Jul 23;3(14):2105-2117. doi: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2019031732.
Stenotrophomonas maltophilia Encodes a VirB/D4 Type IV Secretion System That Modulates Apoptosis in Human Cells and Promotes Competition Against Heterologous Bacteria Including Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
Nas MY, White RC, DuMont AL, Lopez AE, Cianciotto NP.
Infect Immun. 2019 Jun 24. pii: IAI.00457-19. doi: 10.1128/IAI.00457-19. [Epub ahead of print]
The Population Structure of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Is Characterized by Genetic Isolation of exoU+ and exoS+ Lineages.
Ozer EA, Nnah E, Didelot X, Whitaker RJ, Hauser AR.
Genome Biol Evol. 2019 Jul 1;11(1):1780-1796. doi: 10.1093/gbe/evz119.
Assessing the impact, genomics and evolution of type II secretion across a large, medically important genus: the Legionella type II secretion paradigm.
White RC, Cianciotto NP.
Microb Genom. 2019 Jun;5(6). doi: 10.1099/mgen.0.000273. Epub 2019 Jun 5.
Anti-psychotic drugs block meningococcal virulence.
Seifert HS.
Nat Microbiol. 2019 Jun;4(6):906-907. doi: 10.1038/s41564-019-0467-9. No abstract available.
mTOR Dysregulation by Vaccinia Virus F17 Controls Multiple Processes with Varying Roles in Infection.
Meade N, King M, Munger J, Walsh D.
J Virol. 2019 Jul 17;93(15). pii: e00784-19. doi: 10.1128/JVI.00784-19. Print 2019 Aug 1.
RACK1 evolved species-specific multifunctionality in translational control through sequence plasticity within a loop domain.
Rollins MG, Jha S, Bartom ET, Walsh D.
J Cell Sci. 2019 Jun 19;132(12). pii: jcs228908. doi: 10.1242/jcs.228908.
Diversity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa contact-dependent growth inhibition systems.
Allen JP, Hauser AR.
J Bacteriol. 2019 Apr 29. pii: JB.00776-18. doi: 10.1128/JB.00776-18. [Epub ahead of print] Review.
Two Pathways of p27^Kip1 Degradation Are Required for Murine Lymphoma Driven by Myc and EBV Latent Membrane Protein 2A.
Sora RP, Ikeda M, Longnecker R.
MBio. 2019 Apr 16;10(2). pii: e00548-19. doi: 10.1128/mBio.00548-19.
A Double-Strand Break Does Not Promote Neisseria gonorrhoeae Pilin Antigenic Variation.
Prister LL, Xu J, Seifert HS.
J Bacteriol. 2019 Jun 10;201(13). pii: e00256-19. doi: 10.1128/JB.00256-19. Print 2019 Jul 1.
Location, Location, Location-Commensalism, Damage and Evolution of the Pathogenic Neisseria.
Seifert HS.
J Mol Biol. 2019 Jul 26;431(16):3010-3014. doi: 10.1016/j.jmb.2019.04.007. Epub 2019 Apr 12. Review.
A Genomic Approach To Identify Klebsiella pneumoniae and Acinetobacter baumannii Strains with Enhanced Competitive Fitness in the Lungs during Multistrain Pneumonia.
Agard MJ, Ozer EA, Morris AR, Piseaux R, Hauser AR.
Infect Immun. 2019 May 21;87(6). pii: e00871-18. doi: 10.1128/IAI.00871-18. Print 2019 Jun.
An Inconvenient Variable: Sex Hormones and Their Impact on T Cell Responses.
Brown MA, Su MA.
J Immunol. 2019 Apr 1;202(7):1927-1933. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.1801403. Review.
Ephrin Receptor A4 is a New Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus Virus Entry Receptor.
Chen J, Zhang X, Schaller S, Jardetzky TS, Longnecker R.
MBio. 2019 Feb 19;10(1). pii: e02892-18. doi: 10.1128/mBio.02892-18.
Natural Strain Variation Reveals Diverse Biofilm Regulation in Squid-Colonizing Vibrio fischeri.
Rotman ER, Bultman KM, Brooks JF 2nd, Gyllborg MC, Burgos HL, Wollenberg MS, Mandel MJ.
J Bacteriol. 2019 Apr 9;201(9). pii: e00033-19. doi: 10.1128/JB.00033-19. Print 2019 May 1.
Analysis of Iron Requirements and Siderophore Production.
Burnside DM, Cianciotto NP.
Methods Mol Biol. 2019;1921:3-19. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4939-9048-1_1.

View full list in PubMed

Read a message from the Chair, Laimonis A Laimins, PhD