Understanding microbes in health and disease

HeLa cells infected with Legionella pneumophila
HeLa cells expressing Fc-γ receptor and infected with Legionella pneumophila for 8 hours. Ribosomes marked by the 40S subunit protein RPS6 are recruited to the replicative niche called the Legionella containing vacuole (LCV).

Photo credit: Advait Subramanian, Shaeri Mukherjee Lab, UCSF.
HeLa cells infected with Chlamydia trachomatis
Serovar D (blue, DAPI), which replicates inside a membrane-bound intracellular compartment that undergoes extensive membrane tubulation by recruiting host sorting nexins (red, FLAG-SNX5).

Photo credit: Cherilynn Elwell, Ph.D.
From the Johnson Lab: biofilm
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The UCSF integrative microbiology (iMicro) program is an interdisciplinary and interdepartmental program dedicated to understanding microbes (viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites) in health and disease with the goal of applying these advances to reveal basic molecular mechanisms, improve health, and transform patient care.

Microbes are our greatest foes and our best friends. Infectious diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide and a major impediment to economic advancement in developing nations.  In the U.S., infectious diseases are the third most common cause of death, despite the widespread availability of antibiotics, vaccines, and advanced hygienic standards.  New and re-emerging infections as well as antibiotic resistant “superbugs” dominate world news.  At the same time, recent research at UCSF and other institutions has revealed the extraordinary and critical role of microbes in maintaining and influencing human health. Indeed, our bodies are host to 10-100 trillion bacteria, viruses, and fungi (the microbiome) that influence human health in ways that were inconceivable a few years ago, ranging from immunity to drug metabolism to brain function.

The Integrative Microbiology (iMicro) program brings together communities of scientists and clinicians from many disciplines at UCSF, including microbiology, immunology, host cell biology, infectious diseases, microbiome medicine, laboratory medicine, pharmaceutical sciences, and others, to understand host-pathogen interactions in health and disease.  The ~25 program faculty are drawn from the Schools of Medicine, Pharmacy, and Dentistry in both the academic and clinical sciences, ensuring a broad range of opportunities in basic and translational research. The strong tradition of openness and collaboration among UCSF laboratories and research groups allows trainees to easily access diverse expertise from multiple faculty.  The program is open to all UCSF graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to participate in research in laboratories associated with iMicro and affiliated programs (ImmunoX, Benioff Center for Microbiome Medicine, Chan-Zuckerberg Biohub) as well as to participate in iMicro activities. Outstanding institutional core facilities are available to accelerate application of new and emerging technologies. The strong tradition of openness and collaboration among UCSF laboratories and research groups allows trainees to easily access diverse expertise from multiple faculty. The iMicro program has an NIH T32 training grant that helps to support our students and postdoctoral fellows.