Current Research
The major goals of the laboratory are: discover mechanisms of bacterial virulence factor regulation including biofilm formation, host-pathogen interactions between ocular pathogens and the cornea, translational/applied research to develop new antimicrobials and molecular tools to manipulate microbes.
Selected Recent Publications
Shanks RM, Stella NA, Kalivoda EJ, Doe MR, O'Dee DM, Lathrop KL, Guo FL, Nau GJ. A Serratia marcescens OxyR homolog mediates surface attachment and biofilm formation. J Bacteriol 2007 Oct;189(20):7262-72. PMC2168423
Kalivoda EJ, Stella NA, O'Dee DM, Nau GJ, Shanks RM. The cyclic AMP-dependent catabolite repression system of Serratia marcescens mediates biofilm formation through regulation of type 1 fimbriae. Appl Environ Microbiol 2008 Jun;74(11):3461-70. PMC2423026
Medina AA, Shanks RM, Kadouri DE. Development of a novel system for isolating genes involved in predator-prey interactions using host independent derivatives of Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus 109J. BMC Microbiol 2008;8:33. PMC2277423
Shanks RM, Meehl MA, Brothers KM, Martinez RM, Donegan NP, Graber ML, Cheung AL, O'Toole GA. Genetic evidence for an alternative citrate-dependent biofilm formation pathway in Staphylococcus aureus that is dependent on fibronectin binding proteins and the GraRS two-component regulatory system. Infect Immun 2008 Jun;76(6):2469-77. PMC2423107
Stella NA, Kalivoda EJ, O'Dee DM, Nau GJ, Shanks RM. Catabolite repression control of flagellum production by Serratia marcescens. Res Microbiol 2008 Sep-Oct;159(7-8):562-8. PMC2606049
Thompson PP, Kowalski RP, Shanks RM, Gordon YJ. Validation of real-time PCR for laboratory diagnosis of Acanthamoeba keratitis. J Clin Microbiol 2008 Oct;46(10):3232-6. PMC2566128
Gordon YJ, Romanowski EG, Shanks RM, Yates KA, Hinsley H, Pereira HA. CAP37-derived antimicrobial peptides have in vitro antiviral activity against adenovirus and herpes simplex virus type 1. Curr Eye Res 2009 Mar;34(3):241-9. PMC2749063
Shanks RM, Kadouri DE, MacEachran DP, O'Toole GA. New yeast recombineering tools for bacteria. Plasmid 2009 Sep;62(2):88-97. PMC2737453