Scientific Posters
How bacteria protect themselves using flexible immunity
This poster details the research presented in "Non-cognate immunity proteins provide broader defenses against interbacterial effectors in microbial communities" on BioRxiv. The poster was presented at the 2023 Bay Area Microbial Pathogenesis Symposium (BAMPS) and 2023 Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on Bacterial Cell Biology and Development. I designed this poster using Adobe Illustrator.
Summary: Bacteria in dense environments like the human microbiome are constantly communicating and competing with each other for the resources necessary for survival. Here, the research shows that bacterial immunity proteins, previously thought to only protect against toxic proteins from sibling cells, can also have broader protection against foreign bacteria. These results could have wide-reaching implications for microbial community interactions and sustainability.
Investigating the mechanism behind immunity protein protection in Proteus mirabilis
This poster describes the interactions between an effector immunity pair from the gut opportunistic pathogen, Proteus mirabilis. The poster was presented at the 2022 Bay Area Microbial Pathogenesis Symposium (BAMPS) and the 2022 University of California, Berkeley Plant and Microbial Biology Retreat. I designed the poster using Adobe Illustrator.
Summary: Effector immunity pairs are one mechanism of interbacterial competition found in bacteria growing in dense environments like the human microbiome. The interactions between these proteins determine which bacteria are inhibited and which survive unimpeded during interbacterial competition. Understanding the mechanisms behind these interactions can impact our knowledge of community structure and protein evolution, as well as advance biotechnology.