Thanh Luong

Research Assistant Professor

Research Interest : Molecular mechanism of Staphylococcus aureus pathogenesis.

Ph.D.: University of Southampton

Postdoctoral: University of Kansas Medical Center

Phone: (501) 526-7688

Fax: (501) 686-5359

E-mail

Research Description:

Staphylococcus aureus causes both hospital-acquired and community-onset infections and is notorious for being resistant to multiple antibiotics. Staphylococcus aureus infections have increased in the past decade primarily due to the increase of antibiotic-resistant strains, limiting viable therapies to treat and prevent infections. The emergence of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) in the 1980s, and the increased use of vancomycin has resulted in the recent emergence of vancomycin-resistant S. aureus in the United Sates and around the world. This alarming situation emphasizes the need to enhance laboratory investigations to explore additional anitmicrobial agents or genetic targets toward the treatment and prevention for diseases caused by this bacterium.

The pathogenesis of this bacterium is a complex process involving a diverse array of extracellular and cell wall components, also called virulence factors, that are coordinately expressed during different stages of an infection. While some pathways within the regulatory network have been elucidated, significant major gaps remain in our knowledge in regard to the direct and indirect interactions among these regulatory elements. Our research aims at understanding how a complex network of regulatory genes controls the production of an array of virulence factors produced by S. aureus. Deciphering when and how these factors are regulated will provide us the tools for developing new antimicrobial agents.

Publications:

Majerczyk CD, Sadykov MR, Luong TT, Lee C, Somerville GA, Sonenshein AL. Staphylococcus aureus CodY negatively regulates virulence gene expression. J Bacteriol. 2008 Apr;190(7):2257-65.

Z. Chen, T.T. Luong, and C.Y.Lee. 2007. The sbcDC locus mediates the repression of type 5 capsule as part of the SOS response in Staphylococcus aureus . J. Bacteriol. J Bacteriol. 2007 Oct; 189 ( 20 ): 7343-50 .

T.T. Luong, P.M. Dunman, E. Murphy, S.J. Projan and C.Y. Lee. 2006. Transcription profiling of mgrA regulon in Staphylococcus aureus . J. Bacteriol. 188:1899-1910.

T.T. Luong, and C.Y. Lee. 2006. The arl locus regulates Staphylococcus aureus type 5 capsule via mgr dependent and independent pathways. Microbiol. 152:3123-3131.

Y. Lim, J. Jana, T. T. Luong, and C.Y. Lee. 2004. Control of glucose and NaCl-induced biofilm formation by rbf in Staphylococcus aureus. J. Bacteriol. 186:722-729 .

T. T. Luong, S. W. Newell, and C. Y. Lee. 2003. mgr , a novel global regulator in Staphylococcus aurues . J. Bacteriol. 185:3703-3710.

T. Luong , S. Sau, M. Gomez, J. C. Lee and C. Y. Lee. 2002. Regulation of Staphylococcus aureus capsular polysaccharide expression by agr and sarA. Infect Immun. 70:444-450.

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