Christopher Rodrigues

Research in the Rodrigues lab is focused on understanding how bacteria develop into one of the toughest cell types on Earth - Spores. Spores are dormant, highly-resistant cells that allow bacteria to survive starvation stress and persist in the environment. Spores are inert to antibiotics and resist common sterilisation methods that kill actively growing bacteria. In the right conditions, spores germinate and generate new populations of bacteria. Some spore-forming bacteria cause recurrent disease in humans, animals and insects, and contaminate food sources. The Rodrigues lab is interested in the molecular processes that underlie the process of how bacteria develop into spores, with the goal of providing knowledge that can fuel the development of new strategies aimed at interfering with this process and propel new technologies that utilize spores.

Morales Angeles, Danae, Coleman, Kaitlyn, Progress Odika, Chimezie, Graham, Chris L. B., Chan, Helena, Gilmore, Michael, Taib, Najwa, Bauda, Elda, Moriscot, Christine, Gallet, Benoit, Fisher, Hannah, Bullough, Per A., Morlot, Cécile, Köster, Darius, Gribaldo, Simonetta, Cava, Felipe and Rodrigues, Christopher D. A. (2025) SpoIIIL is a forespore factor required for efficient cell-cell signalling during Bacillus subtilis sporulation. PLoS Genetics, 21 (7). e1011768. doi:10.1371/journal.pgen.1011768 ISSN 1553-7390. Landajuela, Ane, Braun, Martha, Rodrigues, Christopher D. A. and Karatekin, Erdem (2024) Detection of membrane fission in single Bacillus subtilis cells during endospore formation with high temporal resolution. STAR Protocols, 5 (2). 102965. doi:10.1016/j.xpro.2024.102965 ISSN 26