David Giacalone

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) encounters a variety of different microenvironments during the course of host infection. Importantly, the local levels of abundant ions such as protons (pH), chloride, and potassium vary in coordinated manners that are often linked to the host immune response, and Mtb can exploit these varying ionic levels as cues to aid host colonization. I am using genetic and biochemical approaches to understand how different ionic signals feedback on one another, and to uncover the regulatory network underlying the bacterial response that allows for effective bacterial adaptation.