Cheng, Yu
Master student
Email: cherryc@mail.ustc.edu.cn

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus  aureus (MRSA) has become one of the most important  pathogens of hospital and community infection. It has been found that  endogenous NO, as a signal molecule, can protects Staphylococcus aureus from antibiotic. However, the molecular  mechanism by which NO enhances staphylococcal virulence and resistance is  unknown. My research focuses on the molecular regulatory mechanism of NO  contributes to bacterial drug resistance.

He, Zhien
Graduate Student
Email: zhienhe@mail.ustc.edu.cn

The plasmid-borne mobile colistin resistance gene (mcr-1) has recently been discovered in Enterobacteria in many countries and regions and posed a serious challenge to the treatment of Gram-negative bacteria. However, how mcr-1 is regulated is not yet clear. My research focuses on the molecular regulatory mechanism controlling the expression of mcr-1 in Klebsiella pneumoniae.

Huang, Yi
Graduate Student
Email: huang420@mail.ustc.edu.cn

Staphylococcus aureus is a very important pathogen that is common in the human population. In general, infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus can be treated with antibiotics such as vancomycin and gentamicin. However, there are many antibiotic-resistant strains such as Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). These strains are difficult to cure due to their resistantce to the whole family of beta-lactam antibiotics. The molecular mechanisms that regulate the emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance in these strains are poorly understood. We have found that gas signal molecules (NO) can inhibit oxidative stress response in bacteria, so we suspect that gas signal molecules may have an effect on bacterial antibiotic resistance. My research focuses on the molecular mechanisms of how NO modulates S. aureus antibiotic resistance.

Li, Yujie
Postdoctor
Email: lyj2020@ustc.edu.cn

Microbe-derived bioactive molecules can pass between microbiota and host to affect the cellular functions of host. As a key messenger, nitric oxide (NO) plays crucial roles in diverse signaling pathways in target cells. Staphylococcus aureus is a well-known Gram-positive opportunistic bacterium that can cause a range of minor and life-threatening diseases and the emergence of multidrug-resistant strains significantly increases the nondeterminacy of the therapy of Staphylococcus aureus infections. Therefore, elucidating the nosogenesis of Staphylococcus aureus can provide a novel perspective on its therapy. I theorized that clarifying the mechanism of interspecies (bacterium-host) communication is a breaking-through for the treatment of Staphylococcus aureus infections. NO-mediated S-nitrosylation of cysteine residues provides a powerful tool to test the idea. Consequently, my research project focuses on the regulation of host critical pathway by S-nitrosylation which is mediated by Staphylococcus aureus-derived NO.

Li, Jingrong
PhD Student
Email: ljr1231@mail.ustc.edu.cn

Methylation is considered to be important for fine-tuning ribosome function. Most studies of rRNA methyltransferases are conducted in gram-negative bacteria. However, the functions of rRNA methyltransferases in gram-positive bacteria are unclear. My research focuses on the functions and molecular mechanisms of rRNA methyltransferases in Staphylococcus aureus.

Li, Wei
Graduate Student
Email: liwei123@mail.ustc.edu.cn

Polymyxins are the last line of defense against lethal infections caused by multidrug resistant Gram-negative pathogens. Very recently, the use of polymyxins has been greatly challenged by the emergence of the plasmid-borne mobile colistin resistance gene mcr-1. However, the molecular mechanism controlling the expression of mcr-1 remains poorly understood. We aim to study the expression and regulation of mcr-1 in Klebsiella pneumonia.

Li, Mengshi
Master student
Email: lmsn@mail.ustc.edu.cn

Staphylococcus aureus is a highly invasive human  pathogen that is responsible for significant morbidity each year. Treatment of S. aureus infections  has become increasingly difficult due to the propensity of S. aureus to quickly  evolve antibiotic resistance. S-nitrosylation of host  proteins by dissimilar microbiota under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions  suggests that S-nitrosylation may be observed in multiple habitats. Our research focuses on the regulation of host critical  pathway by S-nitrosylation, mediating by Staphylococcus aureus-derived nitric  oxide.

Pan, Ting
PhD Student
Email: painting@mail.ustc.edu.cn

In  Staphylococcus aureus, the LytR-CpsA-Psr (LCP) family of cell envelope proteins is unique to Gram-positive bacteria, they are relevant for  β-lactam resistance, biofilm formation, and stress tolerance, and they are suggested to play a role in cell wall maintenance. My research focuses on the relationship of the LCP family and the cell wall..

Xu, Weifeng
Master student
Email: xwf@mail.ustc.edu.cn

The mcr-1 carried by the plasmid is an important factor for Klebsiella  pneumoniae to develop colistin resistance. It is of great significance to  study the mechanism of regulating mcr-1. The purpose of my research is  to verify the regulatory effect of CRP protein on mcr-1.

Xu, Shiwen
Master student
Email: xsw97@mail.ustc.edu.cn

The  eukaryotic-like Ser/Thr kinase Stk1 is crucial for virulence, cell wall  biosynthesis, and drug susceptibility in Staphylococcus aureus. However,  the mechanisms by which the Stk1 regulates bacterial pathogenesis remains unclear.  My research focuses on the molecular regulatory mechanism by Stk1 in Staphylococcus  aureus.