How the dynamics of DNA shape control bacterial gene expression

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DNA contains the genes that are the blueprints for all living things. Less well known is that DNA does more than store information: it also plays an active role in deciding when to express the information it carries. This control of gene expression occurs through the 3-dimensional shaping and bending of DNA. Our lab studies how bacteria use the dynamic shaping of DNA to respond to changes in their environment. In other words, we research the molecular mechanisms that allow bacteria to perceive, interpret, and then respond to their surroundings. Understanding these mechanisms is critical for determining why some "good" bacteria suddenly turn "bad" and cause infection, how antibiotic resistance and pathogenicity genes function in different species, and how gene networks can be engineered in bacteria for bioremediation and industrial applications.