Sean Crosson, Professor, Dept of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics, Michigan State University, will give a talk on "Bacterial adaptation to shifting environments" 

ABSTRACT

Bacteria live in almost every conceivable niche on the planet. The ability of these micron-sized cells to replicate and survive requires an ability to sense and adapt to the state of their environment.  Our group is working to understand how bacteria adapt to (and colonize) complex chemical and physical landscapes. This talk will focus on studies of a conserved cell envelope stress system that determines survival of Alphaproteobacteria across a diverse range of stress conditions, including animal hosts in the context of infection. I will further discuss a new selection approach aimed at identifying novel genetic determinants of bacterial adhesion to surfaces.