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Weinert Lab

@ Penn State University
Working at the Intersection of Chemistry, Biology, and Bacteria
Therapy Sessions
Lab News

Lab News:​

Summer 2024:

  • Congratulations to Joe Lopez and Ari Santos on passing their comprehensive exams!

  • Congrats to Dr. Nushrat Hoque and Dr. Nick Marotta on their successful PhD defenses! 

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About the Weinert Lab

We are an interdisciplinary group focused on understanding signaling pathways that allow bacteria to sense and respond to their environment. We use tools from chemistry, biochemistry, and molecular biology to develop a molecular level understanding of the proteins and small molecules involved in these systems, as well as their role(s) in bacterial growth and virulence.

Atypical Cyclic Nucleotides

Nucleotides play a number of important roles as second messengers involved in both eukaryotic and prokaryotic signaling. Mounting evidence suggests that there may be additional nucleotide signaling pathways but very little is known about the proteins involved. Our work aims to identify new cyclic nucleotide-dependent pathways in bacteria, including the proteins and signals involved in sensing cNMPs and regulating cNMP levels. These studies provide basic insights into novel cellular signaling pathways and metabolism, as well as the phenotypes controlled by cNMPs.

Bacterial Oxygen Sensing

The ability of heme proteins to reversibly bind diatomic ligands allows organisms to sense changes in their environment. Recently, changes in gaseous ligand concentrations have been proposed to be involved in the pathogenesis of a variety of bacteria. Our work focuses on understanding how the globin coupled sensor protein family senses oxygen and transmits the binding signal into downstream events. Understanding how these diatomic signals are transduced will elucidate the role of heme sensors in bacterial signaling pathways and pathogenesis, as well as potentially yield starting points for the development of novel antibacterial agents.

Research Projects

contact

Emily Weinert

Office: 306 Althouse Laboratory
University Park, PA 16802

Email: eew5225@psu.edu

Phone: (814) 865-3719

Lab Phone: (814) 865-2779

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The Weinert lab is part of the Eberly College of Science Rainbow Science Network! 

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For information about applying to graduate programs, please visit The Graduate School website.

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