| Name: |
| Gregory Bohach |
| Title: |
| Professor and Director/Associate Dean Idaho Ag Experiment Station |
| Degree: |
| Ph.D. West Virginia University |
| Phone: |
| (208) 885-6666 |
| Fax: |
| (208) 885-6518 |
| Email: |
| gbohach@uidaho.edu |
| Lab/Office Location: |
| Ag Science Building, Room 47 |
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| Research Interests: |
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My laboratory group studies the pathogenesis of Infectious diseases. Although we are interested in all aspects of pathogenesis, we
currently study two general virulence mechanisms used by bacteria to cause disease in humans and animals. We believe that the use of
these models will allow us to make important discoveries in the quest to understand the molecular and cellular interactions between
microorganisms and their hosts.
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One system that we study is the pyrogenic exotoxin family (including toxic shock syndrome toxin-1, enterotoxins, and exfoliative
toxins) and its role in diseases caused by bacteria in the genus Staphylococcus. The type C enterotoxins and staphylococcal
exfoliative toxins, used as representatives of this family for most of our experiments, cause three distinct human diseases; toxic
shock syndrome, scalded skin syndrome, and food poisoning. Because the organisms we study are broad host range pathogens, our work
also has implications for diseases of the animal agriculture industry such as bovine mastitis. These human and animal diseases
result from effects of these toxins on immune cells, skin cells or gastrointestinal tract cells. We have made important
contributions toward mapping regions of each toxin responsible for these various biological activities. This has required a variety
of techniques including monoclonal antibodies, synthetic peptides, site directed mutagenesis, and X-ray crystallography to determine
how the structure of each toxin relates to biological activity. In addition to structure-function studies, we are also interested in
the molecular genetics of these toxins. In particular, many of the toxin genes are located on transmissible genetic elements. We
have been characterizing several unusual elements such as one encoding an enterotoxin in Staphylococcus epidermidis, a
species of bacterium not commonly associated with pyrogenic toxin production.
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Another more recent area of research in our laboratory deals with the mechanisms by which Staphylococcus aureus enters and
persists inside of epithelial cells. Although this bacterium is typically considered to be an extracellular pathogen, we have been
unraveling the interactions that occur on the surface of non-professional phagocytes, such as epithelial cells, that lead to the
internalization of the organism. This work has led us to implicate the interaction of the bacterial fibronectin binding protein with
host cell integrins and heat shock protein 60 during the internalization process. Our ongoing study of events at the cell surface,
plus our collaborative studies with Ken Bayles in our department, may lead to an understanding of why some infections caused by
staphylococci persist chronically and become unresponsive to antimicrobial therapy.
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| Selected Publications: |
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Orwin PM, JR Fitzgerald, DY Leung, JA Gutierrez, GA Bohach, PM Schlievert. 2003. Characterization of Staphylococcus aureus Enterotoxin L. Infect. Immun. 71:2916-2919.
Shompole, SK Henon, L Liou, K. Dziewanowska, GA Bohach, and KW Bayles. 2003. Biphasic intracellular expression of Staphylococcus aureus virulence and evidence for Agr- mediated diffusion sensing. Mol. Microbiol. 49:919-927.
Lee, JC and GA Bohach, Pathogenesis of disease. In: Staphylococcus aureus: molecular and clinical aspects. Editors: Ala'Aldeen DAA and Hiramatsu K. Horwood Publishing Ltd. Chichester, UK. Pp. 177-236. 2004
Fox, LK, GA Bohach, SU Lee, KT Park, and YH Park. 2003. Mastitis: Effect on milk quality, causative agents and control. K. J. Vet. Publ. Hlth. 27:69-76.
International Committee for Staphylococcal Superantigen Nomenclature. 2004. Lina, G., Bohach, GA, Nair, S., Hiramatsu, K., Jouvin-Marche, E., and R. Mariuzza. R. Standard nomenclature for the superantigens expressed by Staphylococcus. J. Infect. Dis. 189:2334-2336.
Kwon, NH, SH Kim, KT Park, WK Bae, JY Kim, JS Ahn, KS Lyoo, JM Kim, WK Jung, KM Noh, GA Bohach, and YH Park. 2004. Application of extended single-reaction multiplex polymerase chain reaction for toxin typing of Staphylococcus aureus isolates in Korea. Int. J. Food. Microbiol. 97:137-145.
Ren, S, D.S. Terman, G.A. Bohach, A. Silvers, C. Hansen, H. Colt, and S.A. Sahn. 2004. Intrapleural staphylococcal superantigen induces resolution of malignant pleural effusions and a survival benefit in non-small cell lung cancer. Chest, 126:1529-1539.
Smyth D.S., Hartigan, P.J., Meaney, W.J., Fitzgerald, J.R., Deobald, C.F., Bohach, G.A., and C.J. Smyth. 2005. Superantigen genes encoded by the egc cluster and SaPIbov are predominant among Staphylococcus aureus isolates from cows, goats, sheep, rabbits and poultry. J. Med. Microbiol. 54:401-411.
Chang, B.S., G.A. Bohach, S.U. Lee, W.C. Davis, L.K. Fox, W.A. Ferens, K.S. Seo, H.C. Koo, N.M. Kwon, and Y.H. Park. 2005. Immunosuppression by T regulatory cells in cows with staphylococcal superantigen. J. Vet. Sci. 6:247-250.
Bohach, G.A. 2005. Staphylococcus aureus exotoxins. in Fischetti, V.R. Novick, J.J. Ferretti, D.A. Portnoy, and J.I. Rood: Gram positive pathogens. ASM Press.
Jin, Z, G.A. Bohach, J. Shiloach, S.E. Norris, D.I. Freedberg, C. Deobald, B. Coxon, J.B. Robbins, and R. Schneerson. 2005. Conjugates of group A and W135 capsular polysaccharides of Neisseria meningitidis bound to recombinant Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxin C1: preparation, physicochemical characterization, and immunological properties in mice. Infect Immun. 73:7887-7893.
Terman, D.S., G. Bohach, F. Vandenesch, J. Etienne, G. Lina, and S.A. Sahn, 2006. Staphylococcal superantigens of the enterotoxin gene complex (egc) for treatment of malignant pleural effusions. Clin. Chest Med. 27:321-334.
Park, Y.H., S.U. Lee, W.F. Ferens, S. Samuels, W.C. Davis, L.K. Fox, K.S. Seo, J.S. Ahn, S.Y. Hwang, and GA Bohach. 2006. Unique features of bovine lymphocytes exposed to staphylococcal enterotoxin. J. Vet. Sci. 7:233-239.
Beaux, M.F, L. Wang, D. Zhang, D. Gangadean, D.N. McIlroy, N.H. Kwon, K. Dziewanowska, and G.A. Bohach. Fibronectin bonding to nanowires and their internalization by epithelial cells. 2006. J. Biomed. Nanotech. 2:1-6.
Seo, KS and GA Bohach. 2006. Staphylococcus aureus exotoxins. in Fischetti, V, R. Novick, JJ Ferretti, DA Portnoy, and JI. Rood: Gram positive pathogens. ASM Press. ASM Press.100. Bohach, GA. 2006. Staphylococcus aureus. In: L Beuchat, M Doyle, and T Montville (eds), Fundamentals of Food Microbiology. ASM Press. Washington, D.C.
Schlievert, P.M. and G.A. Bohach. 2007. Current Status of the Superantigen Field. in: M. Kotb and J. Fraser (eds), Superantigens: Molecular Basis for Their Role in Human Diseases. ASM Press.
Seo, K.S., S.U. Lee, Y.H. Park, W.C. Davis, L.K. Fox, and G.A. Bohach. 2007. Long-term staphylococcal enterotoxin exposure induces soluble factor mediated immunosuppression by bovine CD4 and CD8 T cells. Infect. Immun. 75:260-269.
Kwon, N.H., M.F. Beaux II, C. Ebert, L. Wang, B.E. Lassiter, Y.H. Park, D.N. McIlroy, C.J.Hovde, and G.A. Bohach. 2007 Nanowire-based delivery of Escherichia coli O157 shiga toxin 1 A subunit into human and bovine cells. Nanoletters: 7:2718-23.
Kolodziejek, AM, DJ Sinclair, KS Seo, DR Schnider, CF Deobald, HN Rohde, AK Viall, SS Minnich, CJ Hovde, SA Minnich, and GA Bohach. 2007. Phenotypic characterization of OmpX, an Ail homologue of Y. pestis KIM. Microbiol. 153: 2941-2951.
Huseby, M. K Shi, C.K, Brown, F. Mengistu, K.S. Seo, GA. Bohach, P.M. Schlievert, D.H. Ohlendorf, C.A. Earhart. 2007. Structure and biological activities of hemolysin from Staphylococcus aureus. J. Bacteriol. 189:8719-26
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| Data Files: |
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| Microarray Studies (8 MB) |
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