| 152 | E. Fidelma Boyd, Ph.D. | <p>Professor<br></p>
| (302) 831-1088 | (302) 831-2281 | fboyd@udel.edu | 328 Wolf Hall | 353 Wolf Hall | Department of Biological Sciences Wolf Hall University of Delaware Newark, DE 19716 | <ul>
<li><strong>B.S. -</strong>National University of Ireland (Galway, Ireland)
</li><li><strong>Ph.D.</strong> - National University of Ireland (Galway, Ireland)
</li><li><strong>Postdoctoral</strong> - The Pennsylvania State University
</li><li><strong>Postdoctoral</strong> - Harvard University
</li><li><strong>Postdoctoral</strong> - Tufts University School of Medicine <br></li></ul> | <p><strong>BISC 682 Molecular Mechanisms of Pathogens<br>BISC 850 Advanced Topics in Microbiology</strong></p> | <p><strong>Members of the <em>Vibrionaceae</em><em> </em>are marine spec</strong><strong>ies that survive and proliferate in high salinity. </strong></p><p>Many <em>Vibrio </em>species<em> </em>are halophile and salt is an absolute requirement for growth. </p><p>We investigate 1. The role of quorum sensing regulators in the osmotic stress tolerance response 2. The role of the organosulfur compound dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) in <em>Vibrio</em> fitness and survival 3. How bacterial compatible solute metabolism influences bacterial host interactions 4. The structure and function of compatible solute transproters</p><p><strong>The role of mobile genetic elements in the evolution of <em>Vibrio</em></strong>  </p><p>Our group identified a genomic island named Vibrio Pathogenicity Island-2, which encodes the genes required for sialic acid scavenging, uptake and catabolism. We showed that these genes were important for host colonization by Vibrio cholerae the causative agent of cholera.  </p><p>In our group, we examine 1. How genomic islands integrate and excise from the bacterial chromosome, 2. The evolution of these islands among bacteria, 3. The role of island cargo genes in the physiology of the bacterium</p><p><strong>In addition to sialic acid, bacteria have the ability to biosynthesize prokaryote-specific Nonulosonic acids (NulOs)</strong></p><p><em></em><em> </em>We study the synthesis of the amino sugar nonulosonic acid (NulO), a sialic acid-like molecule present in bacteria. <em>V. vulnificus</em> produces at least two types of NulOs,legionaminic acid and pseudaminic acid, whihc each have unique modifications. </p><p>In our group, we explore 1. Sialylation of the bacterial cell wall, 2. How sialylation influences cell physiology, 3. Bacterial metabolism impact on host competitiveness</p> | | <p><strong>Jessica Tague</strong>, Ph.D/M.B.A. Graduate program, (B.S. Salisbury University), Investigations of the quorum sensing pathway in V. parahaemolyticus.</p><p><strong>Katherine Boas</strong>, Ph.D/M.B.A. Graduate program. Compatible solute transporters and their role in bacterial metabolism <br></p><p>
<strong>Ray Loughan, </strong>Ph.D Microbiology Graduate program. Role of compatible solutes in coral pathogen survival and fitness<br></p><p>
<strong>Chun-kit Shum</strong>, Undergraduate Researcher, University of Delaware</p><p>
</p> | <p>Tague, J.G., Regmi, A., Gregory, G.J., and <strong>E.F. Boyd</strong>. 2021.<strong> </strong>FIS connects two sensory pathways, quorum sensing and surface sensing, to control motility in <em>Vibrio parahaemolyticus</em>. In review.</p><p>Gregory,
G.J. and <strong>E.F. Boyd</strong>. 2021. Stressed out: bacterial response to fluctuations in salinity via uptake
and biosynthesis of diverse compatible solutes, lessons from <em>Vibrionaceae</em>. Computational and
Structural Biotechnology Journal, 19C:1014-1027.</p><p>Gregory, G.J., K.E. Boas, and <strong>E.F. Boyd</strong>. 2020.<strong> </strong>The organosulfur compound dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) is utilized as an osmoprotectant by marine bacteria.<strong> </strong>Applied ad Environmental Microbiology, 87:5.</p><p>McDonald, N.D. and <strong>E.F. Boyd</strong>. 2020. Diversity of sialic acids and nonulosonic acids that decorate bacterial surface structures.
Trends in Microbiology, (20)30214-6.</p><p>
</p><p>Gregory, G.J., A. Dutta, V. Parashar, and <strong>E.F. Boyd</strong>. 2020. Investigations of dimethylglycine (DMG), glycine betiane and ectoine uptake by a BCCT family transporter with broad substrate specificty in <em>Vibrio</em> species. J. Bacteriol., 202(24):e00314-20.</p><p>Gregory, G.J., D.P. Morreale, and <strong>E.F. Boyd</strong>. 2020. CosR is a global regulator of the osmotic stress response with widespread distribution. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 5;86(10):e00120-20 .</p><p>Gregory, G.J., D.P. Morreale, M.R.
Carpenter, S.S. Kalburge, and <strong>E.F. Boyd</strong>. 2019. Quorum sensing regulators
AphA and OpaR mediate expression of the compatible solute ectoine
biosynthesis operon. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 85(22):e01543-19.</p><p>Regmi, A. and <strong>E.F. Boyd</strong>. 2019. Carbohydrate metabolism systems present on genomic islands that are lost and gained in <em>Vibrio parahaemolyticus</em>. BMC Microbiology, 19 (1):112.</p><p>McDonald, N.D*, Regmi, A.*, J.D. Borowski,
D.P. Morreale, and <strong>Boyd, E.F.</strong> 2019. CRISPR-Cas systems are carried on
mobile genetic elements in <em>Vibrio</em> species. BMC Genomics, 4;20(1):105. *co-first authors.</p><p>McDonald, N.D., K. Demeester, A.L. Lewis,
C. L. Grimes, and <strong>E.F. Boyd</strong>. 2018. Structural and functional
characterization of a modified legionaminic acid involved in
glycosylation of the bacterial lipopolysaccharide. Journal Biological Chemistry, 7;293(49): 19113-19126.</p><p>
</p> | | | <img alt="" src="/Images%20Bios/fboyd.png" style="BORDER:0px solid;" /> | |
