How the dynamics of DNA shape control bacterial gene expression

DNA包含的基因是所有生物的蓝图。鲜为人知的是，DNA不仅仅是储存信息，它还在决定何时表达它所携带的信息方面发挥着积极的作用。这种基因表达的控制是通过DNA的三维形状和弯曲来实现的。我们的实验室研究细菌如何利用DNA的动态塑造来应对环境的变化。换句话说，我们研究细菌感知、解释并对周围环境做出反应的分子机制。了解这些机制对于确定为什么一些“好”细菌突然变成“坏”细菌并引起感染，抗生素耐药性和致病性基因如何在不同物种中发挥作用，以及如何在细菌中设计基因网络以进行生物修复和工业应用至关重要。

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.