Phone: (205) 996-2711                     
E-mail: mnieder@uab.edu

Research/Clinical Interest Title: Regulation of solute transport in M. tuberculosis
Research/Clinical Interest Description: Tuberculosis is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis and kills approximately two million people each year, more than any other bacterial pathogen. Yet, M. tuberculosis is one of the least understood bacterial pathogens. Virulence of M. tuberculosis is mainly associated with its ability to survive within macrophages. The outer membrane is an efficient permeability barrier for toxic molecules and plays a key role in protecting M. tuberculosis from the host immune system. To date, the molecular basis for the transport of most solutes across the outer membrane is unknown for M. tuberculosis. The aim of our research is to identify and characterize the outer membrane proteome of M. tuberculosis. The identification of proteins that enable transport of solutes across the outer membrane would represent a major breakthrough in our understanding of the physiology and drug resistance of M. tuberculosis.