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PostDoctoral Researchers

 


Fitnat Yildiz

Fitnat Yildiz

Associate Professor of Environmental Toxicology
B.S, Biology, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey
Ph.D., Microbiology & Molecular Biology, Indiana University
Postdoctoral Fellow, Stanford University, School of Medicine

Office: 444 PSB, Office Hours: By Appointment
Email: yildiz@etox.ucsc.edu
Office Phone: (831) 459-1588
Lab Phone:

Research Group: Yildiz Lab
Microbiology, molecular genetics, genomics. The mechanism of persistence and survival of Vibrio cholerae.

Ex-vivo survival mechanisms used by Vibrio cholerae between epidemics

Alterations to aquatic environments, via natural or anthropogenic factors can directly or indirectly lead to infectious disease outbreaks. At present, little information is available on the molecular ecology and evolutionary dynamics of infectious agents in the environment. Understandingtheenvironmental factors involved in persistence, growth, and transmission of pathogens and the response of organisms to environmental changes will provide information about the emergence or re-emergence of infectious diseases.

Vibrio cholerae, the causative agent of the Asiatic cholera, is an excellent model system to study these processes, because V. cholerae causes periodic, seasonal outbreaks in regions where it is an established member of the indigenous aquatic flora. It is estimated that the disease causes the death of 120,000 people worldwide every year. V. choleraeÍs capacity to cause seasonal epidemics is linked to its survival in free-living and in biofilm growth modes in aquatic environments between outbreaks. However, the processes governing the survival of V. cholerae and its adaptability to changes in habitat remain elusive.

V. cholerae has two phase variants which are named as smooth and rugose reflecting the appearance of their colonial morphologies. Reversible phase variation between the rugose and the smooth colonial variants and associated phenotypes are postulated to be an important factor for the survival of the organism. Little is known about the molecular basis of the phase variation and molecular differences between these two colonial variants. Using molecular genetic and genomic approaches we are working towards identification and characterization of the genes and the processes that are associated with the phase variation.

In aquatic habitats V. cholerae is found as attached to various biotic and abiotic surfaces. It has been proposed that attachment of bacteria to surfaces, and subsequent biofilm growth mode, exemplifies a survival strategy. Identification of the genes required for the development of V. cholerae biofilms and of metabolic pathways operating in these biofilms is central to understanding of the sessile lifecycle of the organism. We know very little about the processes that allow V. cholerae to sense, respond, and adapt to a life on a surface. We are studying the signals and regulatory networks that are essential for biofilm formation by V. cholerae by employing the combined use of molecular genetics, functional genomics, proteomics, microbial ecology and microscopy.

Results obtained through these projects will expand our understanding of the environmental life cycle of an important human pathogen and will provide information useful for the prediction and control of cholera epidemics.

Selected Publications

Manuscripts:

Yildiz, F. H., and Schoolnik, G. K.  (1998)  Role of rpoS in Stress survival and virulence of Vibrio cholerae.  J. Bacteriol.  180: 773-784.

Yildiz, F. H., and Schoolnik, G. K.  (1999)  Vibrio cholerae O1 El Tor:  Identification of a gene cluster required for the rugose colony type, exopolysaccharide production, chlorine resistance, and biofilm formation.  Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 96: 4028-4033.

Yildiz, F. H., Dolganov, N.A., and Schoolnik, G. K.  (2001) VpsR, a member of the response regulators of the two-component regulatory systems, is required for expression of vps biosynthesis genes and the VPS associated phenotypes in Vibrio cholerae O1 El Tor. J. Bacteriol. 183: 1716-26.

Casper-Lindley and Yildiz, F. H.  (2004). VpsT is a transcriptional regulator required for the rugose colonial morphology of Vibrio cholerae O1 El Tor.  Journal of Bacteriology. 186: 1574-78.

Yildiz, F. H., Xiaole, S. H., Heydorn A. and Schoolnik, G. K.  (2004). Molecular analysis of Rugosity in Vibrio cholerae O1 El Tor. phase variant. Molecular Microbiology. 53(2), 497-515.

Carsten Matz, Diane McDougald , Ana Maria Moreno , Pui Yi Yung , Fitnat H. Yildiz  and Staffan Kjelleberg.  (2005). Biofilm formation and phenotypic variation enhance predation-driven persistence of Vibrio cholerae. PNAS, 102(46):16819-24.

 Fong JC, Karplus K, Schoolnik GK, Yildiz FH. (2006)  Identification and characterization of RbmA, a novel protein required for the development of rugose colony morphology and biofilm structure in Vibrio cholerae. J Bacteriol.188(3):1049-59.

Lim B, Beyhan S, Meir J, Yildiz FH. (2006) Cyclic-diGMP signal transduction systems in Vibrio cholerae: modulation of rugosity and biofilm formation. Mol Microbiol. 60(2):331-48.

Beyhan S, Tischler AD, Camilli A, Yildiz FH. (2006)  Transcriptome and phenotypic responses of Vibrio cholerae to increased cyclic di-GMP level.J Bacteriol. 188(10):3600-13.

Beyhan S, Tischler AD, Camilli A, Yildiz FH (2006) Differences in gene expression between the classical and El Tor biotypes of Vibrio cholerae O1.Infect Immun. 2006 74(6):3633-42.

Beyhan S, Bilecen K, Salama SR, Casper-Lindley C and Yildiz FH (2007) Regulation of rugosity and biofilm formation in Vibrio cholerae: Comparison of VpsT and VpsR regulons and epistasis analysis of vpsT, vpsR and hapR.  J Bacteriol. 189(2):388-402.

Lim B, Beyhan S and Yildiz FH (2007) Regulation of Vibrio polysaccharide synthesis and virulence factor production by CdgC, a GGDEF-EAL domain protein, in Vibrio cholerae J Bacteriol. 189(6):2319-30.

Fong, JC and Yildiz, F.H.  (2007) The rbmBCDEF Gene Cluster Modulates  Development of Rugose Colony Morphology and Biofilm Formation in Vibrio cholerae. J Bacteriol. 189(6):2319-30.

Beyhan S and Yildiz FH (2007) Phenotypic variation in Vibrio cholerae is mediated by a single nucleotide change that targets c-di-GMP signaling pathway and alters phage susceptibility. Mol Microbiol. 63(4):995-1007.

Reviews and Book Chapters

Schoolnik, G. K., and Yildiz, F. H.  (2000) The complete genome sequence of Vibrio cholerae: a tale of two chromosomes and two lifestyles.  Genome Biology 1(3): 1016.1-1016.3.

Yildiz FH (2007) Processes controlling the transmission of bacterial pathogens in the environment, Res Microbiol. 158(3):195-202.

Schoolnik, G. K., Voskuil, M. I., Schnappinger, D., Yildiz, F. H., Meibom, K., Dolganov, A. N., Wilson, M.A., Chong, K. H. (2000) Whole genome DNA microarray expression analysis of biofilm development by Vibrio cholerae O1 El Tor.  In Microbial growth in biofilms, Part A.  Edited by Doyle RJ. San Diego, CA: Academic Press; Methods in Enzymology. 336:3-18.

Flanders, J.R., and Yildiz, F. H.  (2004) Biofilms as a Reservoir for Disease, Chapter 17. In: Introduction to Biofilms: Conceptual Themes, George A. O’Toole and Mahmoud A. Ghannoum, eds.  ASM Press, Washington DC.

Yildiz F. H., and Kolter, R.  (2007)  Genetics and Microbiology of biofilm formation in Vibrio cholerae.  In : Vibrio cholerae: Genomics and Molecular Biology, Shah M. Faruque and G. Balakrish Nair, eds. The Horizon Scientific Press.  (In press).

 

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