Research
Our investigators are actively conducting individual and collaborative projects on Staphylococcus and related diseases, including basic science and clinical research.
The center fosters the interactions of basic science researchers with clinicians to develop new therapies and treatments for staph.
Basic Science Research
Our investigators are working toward a better understanding of staph diseases, which will provide the knowledge that eventually will lead to better diagnoses, preventions, and new treatments.
Our interdisciplinary group illustrates the need to have a multifaceted, multidirectional approach to researching staph, whether through the study of molecular or cellular biology, proteomics, immunology or pharmaceutical sciences.
Clinical Research
Our center foster's the interactions of basic science researchers with clinicians, such as Mark Rupp, MD, infectious diseases specialist, and Kevin Garvin, MD, chairman of the department of orthopedic surgery, to develop new therapies and treatments for staph.
Nebraska Transposon Mutant Library
To enhance the research capabilities of the Staphylococcal research community, our center generated a collection of sequence-defined transposon (Tn) insertion mutants of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) termed the Nebraska Transposon Mutant Library.
This collection of strains contains mutant derivatives of USA300 LAC in which individual genes have been disrupted by the insertion of the mariner Tn bursa aurealis. By determining the nucleotide sequences of the junction fragments containing the end of the Tn and the flanking DNA, the insertion sites have been identified for each mutant in the collection.
In collaboration with Network on Antimicrobial Resistance in Staphylococcus aureus, these mutants have been made available to the staphylococcal research community. The ultimate goal is to generate mutations in each of the approximately 2,000 non-essential genes in the genome and make these mutants available for experimental analysis.
Parental Strain
The strain used to generate the Nebraska Library was derived from S. aureus USA300 LAC, a highly characterized community-associated methicillin-resistant S. aureus strain isolated from the Los Angeles County jail. This strain contains three small plasmids, one encoding resistance to tetracycline and another encoding erythromycin resistance. The third plasmid is cryptic. For ease of genetic manipulation and to avoid interference with subsequent transposition events involving bursa aurealis, all three plasmids were cured, yielding strain USA300 JE2 that was used for all subsequent Tn mutagenesis experiments.
Funding Sources
The construction of the Nebraska Library was made possible by funding from the Department of Defense. Storage and subsequent dissemination of the library, as with all isolates in the NARSA collection is funded by the National Institutes of Health.