Stavroula Hatzios, Ph.D.

My laboratory studies host–microbe interactions in the gastrointestinal tract by using chemical tools to discover proteins, post-translational modifications, and metabolites that shape cell signaling at the molecular level. Our primary goal is to understand how infection-associated oxidative stress influences host cell signaling and microbial adaptation to the host environment. We use a combination of chemical proteomics, genetics, biochemical methods, and infection models to identify proteins that are post-translationally modified by oxidative stress and to determine how protein oxidation affects host–microbe interactions. In addition, we aim to develop new probes and antimicrobials for the precise detection and inhibition of disease-causing bacteria in the gut. By bridging the fields of chemistry and microbiology, we strive to develop new approaches that will increase basic understanding of host–microbe interactions and generate new leads for therapeutic targets, activity-based diagnostics, and drug-delivery systems.

[2023] “Isotope tracing reveals bacterial catabolism of host-derived glutathione during Helicobacter pylori infection”, PLoS Pathog 19(7): e1011526. [2022] “A microbial transporter of the dietary antioxidant ergothioneine”, Cell 185: 4526-4540.e18. (*Equal contribution) [2022] “A propeptide-based biosensor for the selective detection of Vibrio cholerae using an environment-sensitive fluorophore”, Cell Chem Biol 29: 1505-1516.e7. [2022] “An infection-induced oxidation site regulates legumain processing and tumor growth,” Nat Chem Biol 18: 698-705.