RNA Biology of gram-positive bacteria
Our Research
Enteric infections and their clinical outcome are often associated with underlying microbial dysbiosis, an imbalance in the microbiota. Clostridioides difficile—a leading cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea—is a prime example: In healthy individuals, infection with C. difficile results in asymptomatic colonization. However, after antibiotic treatment, the enteric pathogen causes a wide spectrum of diseases. Therefore, a mechanistic understanding of virulence regulation in the context of pathogen-commensal interactions is paramount for the development of novel RNA-based therapeutics.
Franziska Faber’s group addresses this goal through the molecular characterization of virulence regulation, with a focus on post-transcriptional regulation by non-coding RNAs and their cognate RNA-binding proteins. They also identify the microbial and host signals that regulate the virulence gene expression. Furthermore, the Faber group establishes antisense oligomer-based targeting of genes and pathways essential for virulence.
Their work combines technologies from the fields of RNA biology, biochemistry, metabolomics, genetics and microbiology. The overarching goal of the Faber group is to identify and functionally characterize novel RNA-based mechanisms of virulence regulation that can be exploited as therapeutic targets.
