Georgiana Purdy

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The goal of the Purdy Lab is to further define the dynamic interface between the human pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis and the host macrophage. We use bacterial genetics and biochemistry to explore the pathogenic mechanisms of TB in combination with cell biology and novel genetic approaches to study the mycobactericidal properties of macrophages. Tuberculosis has re-emerged as a global health concern. The World Health Organization estimates that Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB) infects one third of the world population. The ability to survive and multiply within the host macrophage is a hallmark of TB pathogenicity. However, when TB is unable to establish an infection, such as in activated macrophages, the bacteria are delivered to the lysosome and killed. We found that lysosomes isolated from primary macrophages possess potent antimycobacterial properties associated with ubiquitin and ubiquitin-derived peptides. We are interested in how these ubiquitin-derived peptides kill TB and how they fit into the antimicrobial repertoire of the macrophage. For more information, click here.

Selected Recent Publications

Purdy, G.E., M. Niederweis, and D.G. Russell. 2009. Decreased outer membrane permeability protects mycobacteria from killing by ubiquitin-derived peptides. Mol. Microbiol. 73(5):844-57.

Alonso, S., K. Pethe, D.G. Russell and G.E. Purdy. 2007. Lysosomal killing of Mycobacterium mediated by ubiquitin-derived peptides is enhanced by autophagy. PNAS 104:6031-6036.* * Reviewed by Faculty of 1000

Purdy, G.E. and D.G. Russell. 2007. Lysosomal ubiquitin and the demise of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Cell. Microbiol. 9:2768-2774.

Purdy, G.E. and D.G. Russell. 2007. Ubiquitin trafficking to the lysosome: keeping the house tidy and getting rid of unwanted guests. Autophagy, 3: 399-401.

Owens, R.M., F.F. Hsu, B.C. VanderVen, G.E. Purdy, E. Hesteande, P. Giannakas, J.C. Sacchettini, J.D. McKinney, P.J., Hill, J.T. Belisle, B.A. Butcher, K. Pethe, and D.G. Russell. 2006. M. tuberculosis Rv2252 encodes a diacylglycerol kinase involved in the biosynthesis of phosphatidylinositol mannosides (PIMs). Mol. Microbiol., 60:1152-1163.

Purdy, G.E., R.M. Owens, L.Bennett, D.G. Russell, and B.A. Butcher. 2005. Kinetics of phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate acquisition differ between IgG bead-containing phagosomes and Mycobacterium tuberculosis-containing phagosomes. Cell. Microbiol. 7:1627-1634.

Education and Experience

EDUCATION

1998-2003	1998-2003 Ph.D. in Molecular Biology (with Prof. Shelley Payne) ICMB, University of Texas at Austin Thesis title: Characterization of Shigella flexneri DegP.
1994-1998	1994-1998 B.S. in Microbiology with Honors University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
1994-1998	1994-1998 B.A. in History (specialty in History of Science) with Honors University Florida, Gainesville, Florida

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

2008-	Assistant Professor, Molecular Microbiology & Immunology, OHSU
2003-2008	Postdoctoral Research Associate, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (with Prof. David Russell)