Faculty
Wenqi Yu
Assistant Professor
CONTACT
Office: ISA 6203
Email
EDUCATION
- B. Med. Clinical Medicine, Fudan University Shanghai Medical College, China (1999-2004)
- Ph.D. Microbiology, Eberhard Karls University of T眉bingen, Germany (2007-2012)
- Postdoctoral Fellow, Microbiology, The University of Chicago, USA (2013-2018)
RESEARCH
Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most important human pathogens, which is able to cause various infections ranging from skin and soft tissue infections to life-threatening sepsis. With a long-term research interest in staphylococcal biology and pathogenesis, our lab focuses on studying bacterial cell envelope of S. aureus. We are interested in understanding (a) the dynamics of cell envelope assembly during bacterial growth and cell division, and (b) functions of cell envelope in bacterial physiology and pathogenesis.
Currently, we are investigating the mechanisms supporting septal trafficking of YSIRK/G-S proteins in S. aureus. Proteins with YSIRK/G-S signal peptides are secreted at the septa where staphylococcal cells divide, and are deposited into the cross wall during cell division. Upon cell separation, proteins with YSIRK/G-S signal peptides are distributed over the bacterial surface and fulfills many different virulence functions of the bacteria. The understanding of how these proteins are secreted will form the basis for developing novel therapeutics to combat staphylococcal infections.
We welcome talented students or lab technicians to join our lab. If you are interested, contact me please!
GRADUATE STUDENTS
- Salvatore Scaffidi
- Yaosheng Jia
- Ran Zhang