Our long-term goal is to elucidate the small molecule-mediated signaling network and the regulatory mechanisms involved in quorum sensing, biofilm formation, virulence, and drug resistance, and to provide potential drug targets for treatment of bacterial infectious diseases. We focus on these research areas:

1. Bacterial pathogenesis

Staphylococcus aureus infection is a coordinated and population-wide process, in which regulators (such as agr system, sar genes, and small non-coding RNAs) and exotoxins (such as α-toxin and β-toxin) are involved. We are interested in quorum sensing and genetic regulatory circuits and how they interact to modulate virulence gene expression.

2. Antibiotic resistance

 Antibiotic resistance in bacteria, especially in Staphylococcus aureus and Mycobacterium tuberculosis, has led to world-wide concern. We are interested in the origin and molecular basis of methicillin-resistant and vancomycin-intermediate S. aureus. We combine deep sequencing, molecular biology, and physiology to investigate how antibiotic-resistant S. aureus strains regulate their environmental adaptation and virulence.