Mechanisms of gene transfer in bacteria
Research in the lab has focused on the molecular basis of bacterial virulence, deciphering the mechanisms underlying the transfer of different mobile genetic elements involved in pathogenesis. Seminal contributions from the lab include the identification of a widespread family of MGEs, the Phage-Inducible Chromosomal Islands (PICIs), and the discovery of the most powerful mode of phage transduction described to date: lateral transduction.
Keywords
Staphylococcus aureus / bacteriophages / phage-inducible chromosomal islands / transduction / bacterial evolution