Dana Davis

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Credentials

PhD

Research Summary

C. albicans genetics and pathogenesisMy primary research focus of my laboratory is to understand how the fungal pathogenC. albicans responds to changes in the extracellular environment and how these changes are related to virulence. We have identified two distinct signal transduction pathways that govern adaptation to extracellular pH in vitro and are critical for virulencein vivo. To further this research we are addressing the following questions: What are mechanistic details of these pathways and how do they relate to each other to govern pH responses? What are the targets of these pathways and how do these targets affect the phenotypes seen in pathway mutants? How do these pathway promote virulence? To answer these questions, we have developed both forward and reverse genetic techniques which provide powerful approaches to address questions 1 and 2. Further, we are using an ex vivo models, including C. albicans stimulated host cell damage models, to address question 3 .