Bacteria

Bacteria live everywhere, from the soil and sea to the surface of every plant and animal on Earth. Bacteria are remarkable for their ability to adapt to a huge diversity of environments, many of which are inhospitable to us. Although historically bacteria have primarily been studied for their ability to cause human and animal diseases, bacterial activities can also have profoundly beneficial impacts on their hosts as well as on environmental processes. In most environments, bacteria do not live or act in isolation, but instead in communities of microbes that interact with one another as well as their host species. Recent work on these microbiomes has revealed that, in addition to single bacterial species being able to cause infections, the disruption of bacterial communities or their function can also lead to environmental imbalance and disease. The bacteriology labs within MaPS are diverse, and many have research interests that overlap with a range of other disciplines represented across the UMass Chan Medical School community, from immunology and cancer biology to the microbiome and systems biology. Many of our labs are focused on understanding fundamental aspects of bacterial biology and physiology because our researchers are not only passionate about answering outstanding questions about bacteria, but also because they appreciate that the development of new disease interventions typically relies on a deep understanding of basic biological processes.

Some of our bacteriology lab researchers study how bacteria regulate their gene transcription, pursue questions about the molecular mechanisms of homologous recombination and DNA mismatch repair, develop methods to engineer bacterial genomes, and study the growth, development, morphogenesis, and dormancy of various bacterial species. Other labs are specifically focused on the physical, genetic and chemical interactions between the commensal and pathogenic bacteria that are associated with human hosts and their animal models. These microbial community-focused labs range in their investigations from those studying the interactions of bacteria within model microbial communities in the lab to those studying how human microbiota respond to diet interventions. Other groups within MaPS are focused on developing mathematical models to describe and provide insights into the dynamic interactions within these microbial communities. Finally, a number of labs are focused on the interactions of particular bacterial species with human host immunity and inflammation and work to integrate our understanding of these distinct scientific fields. Overall, the MaPS bacteriology labs at UMass Chan address key questions about bacterial physiology using interdisciplinary and collaborative approaches to explore how these amazing and diverse microbes both respond to and influence their local environment and their hosts.