Laboratory of Infection Biology

Infection Biology

Kamanová LAB

In our laboratory, we study bacterial pathogenesis and the emergence of bacterial virulence. In particular, we study the effectors of the so-called type III secretion system, the functioning of which is sometimes compared to a miniature syringe. When effectors are injected from the bacterium into the target cell of the host organism, their action disrupts the internal processes of the cell and suppresses the host’s defences. It is the mechanisms of this subversion that we are focusing on. We are interested in how effectors act on host cells and what are the functional consequences of their binding and enzymatic activities.

Our model system is pathogenic bordetellae that colonize the mammalian respiratory tract and cause respiratory infections. We want to understand the molecular mechanism of action of the effector BteA and its role in the pathogenesis of whooping cough caused by B. pertussis and B. parapertussis. We also focus on the genus Aeromonas, a genus of aquatic bacteria. These bacteria encode many different effectors of the type III secretion system. We are trying to unravel the role of effectors in establishing the symbiosis of the genus Aeromonas with the medical leech.