Our Research
RESEARCH INTERESTS: Cellular and molecular biology of the interaction between the human pathogen Chlamydia trachomatis and the mucosal epithelium.
RESEARCH SUMMARY: The Carabeo laboratory conducts research on the interaction of the human pathogen Chlamydia trachomatis with the resident epithelium. Two major research questions we are addressing are:
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1.) The mechanism by which Chlamydia subverts host cell signaling to hijack the host cytoskeleton and vesicular transport to facilitate infection and nutrient acquisition.
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Using quantitative fluorescence imaging in conjunction with cutting-edge genetic manipulation, e.g. CRISPR/Cas9, we are able to evaluate infection-dependent changes in the dynamics and behavior of host proteins of interest. We also use three-dimensional mixed-cell cultures and ex vivo organ cultures to identify non-cell autonomous effects of Chlamydia infection on neighboring uninfected cells. These changes to cell-cell interactions are likely to contribute to the development of histopathological hallmarks of chlamydial disease.
2.) The mechanism of chlamydial adaptation to immunological and nutritional stresses, specifically at the level of gene expression.
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In projects related to this theme, we use a systems biology approach to determine genome-wide alterations to changes in transcription (single-cell and batch RNA sequencing), ribosomal profiling, and chromatin immunoprecipitation and sequencing (ChIP-seq) to gain in-depth mechanistic insights into gene regulatory changes during development and response to stress.