ORCID
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7666-6103
Date of Award
Spring 2025
Language
English
Embargo Period
1-31-2025
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
College/School/Department
Department of Biomedical Sciences
Program
Biomedical Sciences
First Advisor
Jon Eric Paczkowski
Committee Members
Pallavi Ghosh, Joe Wade, Nick Mantis, Todd Gray, Alex Valm
Keywords
quorum sensing, virulence, Pseudomonas
Subject Categories
Bacteriology | Molecular Biology | Pathogenic Microbiology | Structural Biology
Abstract
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen that is highly antibiotic resistant and causes tens of thousands of infections each year. It persists in hospitals by forming biofilms on medical equipment like ventilators and catheters, making it difficult to eradicate. Biofilm formation, among other virulence factors of P. aeruginosa, is regulated through quorum sensing, a mechanism of bacterial communication. Quorum sensing is primarily coordinated through LuxI-R type systems comprised of an autoinducer synthase and receptor, respectively. Canonically, the first system to be expressed is LasI-R, and LasR upregulates the second arm of the quorum sensing network, the RhlI-R system. Research on clinical strains of P. aeruginosa has shown that there is a high frequency of LasR-inactivating mutations, in both chronic and acute infection strains, resulting in complete loss of LasR signaling. However, quorum sensing is maintained in these strains through the RhlI-R system. This dissertation characterizes the different ways in which the RhlR transcription factor is expressed, activated, and stabilized independent of LasR regulation to provide insights on virulence gene regulation through adaptive quorum sensing in P. aeruginosa.
License
This work is licensed under the University at Albany Standard Author Agreement.
Recommended Citation
Simanek, Kayla, "Adaptive Quorum Sensing in Pseudomonas aeruginosa" (2025). Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present). 106.
https://scholarsarchive.library.albany.edu/etd/106
Included in
Bacteriology Commons, Molecular Biology Commons, Pathogenic Microbiology Commons, Structural Biology Commons
