Victor Dirita PhD

Dr. Victor DiRita, Ph.D. lab studies the biology and pathogenicity of bacteria that cause human disease. Three microbes we study extensively are Vibrio cholera, the agent of human cholera, Campylobacter jejune, a commensal of chickens that cause human illness, and Enterobacter spp. from hospital-acquired infections. Research questions are varied depending on the microbe, but in general, we are interested in genetic regulatory mechanisms and metabolic requirements for fitness during infection. We also use small molecules to probe biological mechanisms, essentially using chemical biology to answer interesting questions and as a way to develop potential new therapeutic approaches.

In Vibrio we study a complex regulatory pathway that controls the expression of cholera toxin and other key virulence traits. This regulatory system includes transcription factors that are localized to the inner membrane of the cell, which is an unusual place to find DNA binding/transcription activation proteins. For this work, we use genetics, biochemistry, chemical biology, and superresolution imaging – the last approach done in collaboration with the lab of Julie Biteen at the University of Michigan. We are also exploring metabolic traits that enable. cholera to grow to very high levels during infection.