Sauer Lab  

Research Focus

The focus of our lab revolves around understanding host pathogen interactions.  Specifically we are interested in four separate but related questions:

1. How do intracellular pathogens parasitize their host cells?

2. How can we take advantage of pathogen virulence strategies to develop novel antimicrobials?

3. How does the host recognize and respond to infection by intracellular pathogens? 

4. How does recognition of intracellular pathogens by the innate immune system drive adaptive immune responses?

Recent Publications

Smith, H.B., Lee, K., Freeman, M.J., Stevenson, D.M., Amador-Noguez, D., Sauer, JD. Listeria monocytogenes requires DHNA-dependent intracellular redox homeostasis facilitated by Ndh2 for survival and virulence. In Press Infection and Immunity

Leasure, C.S.*, Grunenwald, C.M.*, Choby, J.E., , Sauer, JD*,  Skaar E.P.* Maintenance of heme homeostasis in 1 Staphylococcus aureus through posttranslational regulation of glutamyl-tRNA reductase Journal of Bacteriology 2023 Sep 1;e0017123. doi: 10.1128/jb.00171-23. Online ahead of print. PMCID: In Process

West, K.H.J, Ma, S.V, Pensinger, D.A., Tucholski, T., Tiambeng, T.T., Eisenbraun, E.L., Yehuda, A., Hayouka, Z., Ge, Y., Sauer, JD, Blackwell, H.E. A native autoinducing peptide reveals highly efficacious synthetic inhibitors and activators of Listeria monocytogenes quorum sensing and biofilm formation. Biochemistry 2023 Sep 12. doi: 10.1021/acs.biochem.3c00373. Online ahead of print. PMCID: In Process

Morrow, Z.T. and Sauer, JD. Type I Interferon Signaling on Antigen-Presenting Cells Blunts Cell-Mediated Immunity Toward Listeria monocytogenes. Infection and Immunity 2023 Jul 18;91(7). PMCID: PMC10353425

Robertson, T.F., Yiran Hou, Y., Shen, S., Rindy, J., Sauer, JD.,  Dinh, H.Q., and Huttenlocher, A.A tessellated lymphoid network provides whole-body T cell surveillance in zebrafish PNAS 2023 May 16;120(20) PMCID: PMC10193988

Pensinger, D.A.*, Gutierrez, K.V.*, Smith, H.B., Vincent, W.J.B.,  Stevenson, D.S., Black, K.A., Perez-Medina, K.M., Dillard, J.P., Rhee, K.Y., Amador-Noguez, D., Hyunh, T.N., Sauer, JD Listeria monocytogenes GlmR is an accessory uridyltransferase essential for cytosolic survival and virulence. 2023 Mar 20;e0007323. doi: 10.1128/mbio.00073-23. Online ahead of print PMCID:pending

Recent News

Congratulations to Dr. Hans Smith, Kijeong Lee, Matt Freeman and our collaborators in the Amador-Noguez Lab on their recent publication in Infection and Immunity!

Congratulations to Dr. Caroline Grunenwald and our collaborators in the Skaar Lab on their recent publication in the Journal of Bacteriology!

Congratulations to Dr. Dan Pensinger and our collaborators in the Blackwell Lab on their recent publication in Biochemistry!

Congratulations to Dr. Zach Morrow on his recent publication in Infection and Immunity!

Congratulations to Simon Shen and our collaborators in the Huttenlocher and Dinh Labs on their recent publication in PNAS!

Congratulations to Dr. Zach Morrow on his successful thesis defense and starting his new position at FUJIFILM Cellular Dynamics, Inc.!

Congratulations to Danny Hill on your graduation and starting your new position at Eli Lilly!

Congratulations to Dr. Dan Pensinger and Kim Gutierrez and our collaborators in the Amador-Noguez, Rhee, Dillard, and Hyunh Labs on the publication of their recent paper in mBio!

Congratulations to Dr. Caroline Grunenwald on starting her new position as an Assistant Professor of Biology at the University of Missouri, we will miss you! Find her lab and all their exciting work here!