Kerwyn Casey Huang
A5052019253- Bacterial Genetics and Biotechnology
- Bacteriophages and microbial interactions
- Gut microbiota and health
- Bacterial biofilms and quorum sensing
- Evolution and Genetic Dynamics
- Protein Structure and Dynamics
- Clostridium difficile and Clostridium perfringens research
- Probiotics and Fermented Foods
- Gene Regulatory Network Analysis
- Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies
- RNA and protein synthesis mechanisms
- Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology
- Cell Image Analysis Techniques
- Escherichia coli research studies
- Vibrio bacteria research studies
- Lipid Membrane Structure and Behavior
- Microtubule and mitosis dynamics
- Evolutionary Game Theory and Cooperation
- Photosynthetic Processes and Mechanisms
- Diet and metabolism studies
- Single-cell and spatial transcriptomics
- Biochemical and Structural Characterization
- Enzyme Structure and Function
- Cellular Mechanics and Interactions
- thermodynamics and calorimetric analyses
Stanford University
2016-2025
Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (United States)
2017-2025
Stanford Medicine
2017-2024
Chan Zuckerberg Biohub San Francisco
2022-2023
Franciscan University of Steubenville
2022
Bioengineering Center
2014-2022
University of Montana
2022
University of California, San Diego
2022
In-Q-Tel
2010-2012
Palo Alto University
2012
The bacterial tubulin FtsZ is the central component of cell division machinery, coordinating an ensemble proteins involved in septal wall synthesis to ensure successful constriction. How cells achieve this coordination unknown. We found that
Bacterial cells possess multiple cytoskeletal proteins involved in a wide range of cellular processes. These are dynamic, but the driving forces and functions these dynamics remain poorly understood. Eukaryotic often driven by motor proteins, bacteria no motors that drive motion have been identified to date. Here, we quantitatively study Escherichia coli actin homolog MreB, which is essential for maintenance rod-like cell shape bacteria. We find MreB rotates around long axis persistent...
In bacterial cells, the peptidoglycan cell wall is stress-bearing structure that dictates shape. Although many molecular details of composition and assembly cell-wall components are known, how network subunits organized to give shape during normal growth it reorganized in response damage or environmental forces have been relatively unexplored. this work, we introduce a quantitative physical model predicts mechanical perturbation rod-shaped Gram-negative bacterium Escherichia coli . To test...
Significance Across all kingdoms of life, maintaining the correct cell shape is critical for behaviors such as sensing, motility, surface attachment, and nutrient acquisition. Maintaining proper requires cellular-scale coordination proteins feedback systems that enable responses local morphological perturbations. Here, we demonstrate MreB cytoskeleton in Escherichia coli preferentially localizes to regions negative curvature, directing growth away from poles actively straightening locally...
The spatiotemporal structure of the human microbiome
Summary Although bacterial cells are known to experience large forces from osmotic pressure differences and their local microenvironment, quantitative measurements of the mechanical properties growing have been limited. We provide an experimental approach theoretical framework for measuring live bacteria. encapsulated bacteria in agarose with a user‐defined stiffness, measured growth rate individual fit data thin‐shell model extract effective longitudinal Young's modulus cell envelope...
Antibiotics alter microbiota composition and increase infection susceptibility. However, the generalizable effects of antibiotics on contribution environmental variables to gut commensals remain unclear. To address this, we tracked dynamics with high temporal taxonomic resolution during antibiotic treatment in a controlled murine system by isolating such as diet, history, housing co-inhabitants. Human microbiotas were remarkably resilient recovered treatment, transient dominance resistant...
Significance How does a cell decide when to divide or initiate DNA replication? it regulate its own growth? These fundamental questions are not well understood in most organisms; this lack of understanding is particularly true for multicellular eukaryotes. Following classical studies yeast, we have quantified the key aspects growth and division dynamics Arabidopsis apical stem niche. Our results disprove various theories plant size/cell cycle regulation, such as that progression triggered...
Significance The peptidoglycan cell wall is a universal feature of bacteria that determines their shape, effect on the human immune system, and susceptibility to many our front-line antibiotics. Therefore, it essential understand physiology this structure. Here, we examine fundamental biomechanical biochemical processes drive cell-wall expansion during growth. We demonstrate that, contrary long-standing hypothesis, osmotic pressure not for model bacterium Escherichia coli growth organism...
Harnessing the microbiota for beneficial outcomes is limited by our poor understanding of constituent bacteria, as functions most their genes are unknown. Here, we measure growth a barcoded transposon mutant library gut commensal Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron on 48 carbon sources, in presence 56 stress-inducing compounds, and during mono-colonization gnotobiotic mice. We identify 516 with specific phenotype under only one or few conditions, enabling informed predictions gene function. For...