Rose Yang L&S Biological Sciences
Histoplasma Knottins in Fungal-Macrophage Interactions
Histoplasma capsulatum is a thermally dimorphic fungal pathogen that infects humans and causes histoplasmosis, a disease affecting hundreds of thousands of people worldwide annually. My research focuses on how a family of small, secreted proteins called knottins contributes to Histoplasma virulence. Knottins are cystine-knot proteins that contain a specific protein domain that confers stability. Previous work in the Sil lab discovered 25 knottin genes and found that four have roles in virulence. However, the functions of the other Histoplasma knottins is unknown.
My project will investigate the roles of the remaining knottin proteins by generating targeted gene deletion mutants and testing their ability to infect and lyse macrophages. Understanding which knottins contribute to intracellular survival and host cell lysis will help clarify how Histoplasma manipulates host cells during infection. Understanding the functions of previously uncharacterized proteins may reveal new mechanisms of fungal virulence across related organisms and provide insights into how thermally dimorphic pathogens interact with the host immune system.
Message To Sponsor
Thank you for supporting my research this summer. I am excited to study the role of Histoplasma knottin proteins in fungal–macrophage interactions, with the goal of better understanding mechanisms of fungal pathogenesis. This project will allow me to build technical skills in molecular biology while contributing to questions relevant to infectious disease. I am truly grateful for the opportunity to pursue this work.