INFECTIOUS DISEASES SEMINAR SERIES
Dr. Steven J. Norris
Robert Greer Professor of Biomedical Sciences
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
University of Texas Medical School at Houston
“Pathogenomics of the Lyme Disease Spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi”
Time: 10:00, July 17 (Wednesday)
Place: Medical Science Building B321
Host: Dr. Jingren Zhang
Abstract
Lyme disease is caused by Borrelia burgdorferi and the other closely related spirochetes, and is transmitted by infected Ixodes ticks. These organisms are highly invasive, non-toxigenic pathogens that can infect humans and other mammalian hosts for several years. They also have complex genomes consisting of a single linear chromosome and about 22 linear and circular plasmids. In this study, we have attempted to identify the genes and gene products required for the Lyme disease infectious cycle using transposon mutagenesis, signature tagged mutagenesis, and Tn-seq approaches. We also have investigated the VlsE antigenic variation system (discovered in 1997 by Dr. Jing Ren Zhang) as a major mechanism of immune evasion and persistent infection.
Light Refreshments will be served!!!
Background
The Centre for Infectious Diseases Research is holding a weekly seminar series. The seminars will be a great opportunity to hear speakers from both within and outside China speaking on a variety of subjects of interest to all those engaged in microbiology/immunology and allied disciplines. The coordinator of the seminar series is Babak Javid, and he would be delighted for fellow faculty to get in touch with regards to possible speakers to invite.
The seminars will also be of great interest to graduate students in life sciences, so we would appreciate PIs encouraging their students and post-docs to attend. By way of encouragement, we will be providing light refreshments to attendees.
If you are interested in meeting with the speaker, please email Babak Javid at bjavid@gmail.com.
We hope that this seminar series will prove to be a valuable addition for both training and scientific dialogue at Tsinghua, and look forward to seeing you there.
