Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth
Department of Microbiology and Immunology
525 Remsen Building
66 College Street
Hanover, NH 03755
Tel: 603-650-1674 (office)
Tel: 603-650-1675 (lab)
Email: james.bliska@dartmouth.edu
The long-term aim of research in the Bliska Lab has been to understand how bacterial effectors that are secreted into infected leukocytes promote pathogenesis or elicit host protection. Our current research is focused on bacteria that use type III or type VI secretion systems to deliver effectors into phagocytic leukocytes (monocytes, macrophages, neutrophils).
Of particular interest are effectors that interact with the RhoA-pyrin signaling pathway in phagocytes. Several effectors promote pathogenesis by specifically inactivating RhoA, a small GTPase and regulator of cellular processes such as phagocytosis.
ExoS effector in Pseudomonas aeruginosa Hyperactive Type III secretion system mutant promotes enhanced Plasma Membrane Rupture in Neutrophils.
Reuven AD, Katzenell S, Mwaura BW, Bliska JB
PLoS Pathog. 2025 Apr;21(4):e1013021. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1013021. Epub 2025 Apr 2.
PMID: 40173191
Guards and decoys: RIPoptosome and inflammasome pathway regulators of bacterial effector-triggered immunity.
Malik HS, Bliska JB
PLoS Pathog. 2025 Jan;21(1):e1012884. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1012884. Epub 2025 Jan 30.
PMID: 39883598
Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth
Department of Microbiology and Immunology
525 Remsen Building
66 College Street
Hanover, NH 03755
Tel: 603-650-1674 (office)
Tel: 603-650-1675 (lab)
Email: james.bliska@dartmouth.edu
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