Seminar Exploring the Global Host Response to Infection by Intracellular Pathogens Tuesday, 14 Jan 2003, 11 am, Sanger Hall 8-036 Paul Fawcett Department of Biochemistry Stanford University Tel: 650-723-6719 E-mail: fawcett@cmgm.stanford.edu

Research
Studies of host-pathogen interactions have significantly contributed to our understanding of the mechanisms of both cellular and innate immunity. The innate immune response is the first-line defense to bacterial infection, and my research is mainly concerned with using DNA microarrays to comprehensively characterize the transcriptional component of the host response in the context of well-studied models for host-pathogen interaction. I have a special interest in intracellular pathogens, and both Listeria monocytogenes (in a collaboration with the Portnoy lab at U.C. Berkeley, using a mouse model) and Legionella pneumophila (in collaboration with the Falkow lab at Stanford, using a human model) are being exploited as model pathogens. Other interests include septic shock, and the role of the Toll-like receptor family in mammalian innate immunity.

Recent Publications

Fawcett, P. Gonzales, R. O'Riordan, M. Brown, PO. Portnoy D. A cytosol specific program of gene expression induced by intracytosolic Gram positive bacteria. (in preparation)

Fawcett, P. McCaffery, A. Pham, TT. Pandey, K. Meuse, L. Nakai, H. Storm, TA. Xu, H. Ehrheardt, A. Brown, PO. Kay, MA. Microarray analysis of host response to viral gene therapy vbectors in mice. (in preparation)

Helmann, JD. Wu MFW. Gaballa A. Kobel PA. Morshedi MM. Fawcett P., Paddon C. The global transcriptional response of Bacillus subtilis to peroxide stress is coordinated by three transcription factors. Journal of Bacteriology. 185(1):243-53, 2003 Jan.

Britton RA. Eichenberger P. Gonzalez-Pastor JE. Fawcett P. Monson R. Losick R. Grossman AD. Genome-wide analysis of the stationary-phase sigma factor (sigma-H) regulon of Bacillus subtilis. Journal of Bacteriology. 184(17):4881-90, 2002 Sep.

Eichenberger P. Fawcett P. Losick R. A three-protein inhibitor of polar septation during sporulation in Bacillus subtilis. Molecular Microbiology. 42(5):1147-62, 2001 Dec.

Price CW. Fawcett P. Ceremonie H. Su N. Murphy CK. Youngman P. Genome-wide analysis of the general stress response in Bacillus subtilis. Molecular Microbiology. 41(4):757-74, 2001 Aug.

Fawcett P. Eichenberger P. Losick R. Youngman P. The transcriptional profile of early to middle sporulation in Bacillus subtilis. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 97(14):8063-8, 2000 Jul 5.

Rudner DZ. Fawcett P. Losick R. A family of membrane-embedded metalloproteases involved in regulated proteolysis of membrane-associated transcription factors. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 96(26):14765-70, 1999 Dec 21.

Fawcett P. Melnikov A. Youngman P. The Bacillus SpoIIGA protein is targeted to sites of spore septum formation in a SpoIIE-independent manner. Molecular Microbiology. 28(5):931-43, 1998 Jun.