ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCES RESEARCH CENTER
A National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Center of Excellence

The long range goal of Dr. Apicella's research is to understand the factors involved in the pathogenesis of human pathogenic Neisseria and nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae infections in order to develop methods to inhibit these infectious processes either by vaccination or chemotherapy. These organisms are strict human pathogens and cause considerable disease worldwide. Dr. Apicella's research combines state of the art methodologies in molecular biology, cell biology, bioinformatics and macromolecular chemistry to study mechanisms involved in bacterial pathogenesis.

Recent Publications

1. Greiner, L.L., Watanabe H., Phillips, N.J., Shao, J., Morgan, A., Zaleski, A., Gibson, B.W., Apicella, M.A.  Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae strain 2019 produces a biofilm containing N-acetylneuraminic acid that may mimic sialylated O-linked glycans.  Infection and Immunity 72:4249-4260, 2004.
2. Jia, H.P., Kline, J.N., Penisten, A., Apicella, M.A., Gioannini, T.L., Weiss, J., McCray, P.B., Jr.  Endotoxin responsiveness of human airway epithelia is limited by low expression of MD-2.  Am. J. Physiol. Lung Cell. Mol. Physiol. 287: L428-437, 2004.
3. Phillips, N.J., Schilling, B., McLendon, M.K., Apicella, M.A., and Gibson, B.W.  Novel modification of lipid A of Francisella tularensis. Infection and Immunity 72:5340-5348, 2004.
4. Binnicker, M.J., Williams, R.D., and Apicella, M.A.  Gonococcal porin IB activates NF-kB in human urethral epi thelium and increases the expression of host antiapoptotic factors.  Infection and Immunity 72:6408-6417, 2004.
5. Seib, K.L., Tseng, H.-J., McEwan, A.G., Apicella, M.A., and Jennings, M.P.  Defenses against oxidative stress in Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Neisseria meningitidis: Distinctive systems for different lifestyles.  Journal of Infectious Diseases190:136-147, 2004.
6. Koropatnick, T.A., Engle, J.T., Apicella, M.A., Stabb, E.V., Goldman, W.E., and McFall-Ngai, M.J.  Microbial factor-mediated development in a host-bacterial mutualism.  Science 306:1186-1188, 2004.
7. Greiner, L.L., Edwards, J.L., Shao, J., Rabinak, C., Entz, D., and Apicella, M.A.  Biofilm formation by Neisseria gonorrhoeae.  Infection and Immunity 73:196401970, 2005.
8. Simons, M.P., Nauseef, W.M., and Apicella, M.A.  Interactions of Neisseria gonorrhoeae with adherent polymorphonuclear leukocytes.  Infection and Immunity 73:1971-1977, 2005.
9. Timmerman, M.M., Shao, J.Q., and Apicella, M.A.  Ultrastructural analysis of the pathogenesis of Neisseria gonorrhoeae endometrial infection.  Cellular Microbiology 7(5):627-636, 2005. 
10. Jurcisek, J., Greiner, L., Watanabe, H., Zaleski, A., Apicella, M.A. and Bakaletz, L.O.  Role of sialic acid and complex carbohydrate biosynthesis in biofilm formation by nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae in the chinchilla middle ear.  Infection and Immunity 73(6):3210-3218, 2005.
11. Allen, S., Zaleski, A., Johnston, J.W., Gibson, B.W., and Apicella, M.A.  Novel sialic acid transporter of Haemophilus influenzae.  Infection and Immunity 73(9):5291-5300, 2005.
12. Lucas, A.H., Apicella, M.A., and Taylor, C.E.  Carbohydrate moieties as vaccine candidates.  Invited article Vaccines Clinical Infectious Diseases 41:705-712, 2005. 
13. Lu, M., Zhang, M., Takashima, A., Weiss, J., Apicella, M.A., Li, X.-H., Yuan, D., and Munford, R.S.  Lipopolysaccharide deacylation by an endogenous lipase controls innate antibody responses to Gram-negative bacteria. Nature Immunology 6(10):989-994, 2005.
14. Kidd, S.P., Potter, A.J., Apicella, M.A., Jennings, M.P., and McEwan, A.G.  NmIR of Neisseria gonorrhoeae: a novel redox responsive transcription factor from the MerR family.  Molecular Microbiology 57(6):1676-1689, 2005.
15. Wu, H-J., Seib, K., Edwards, J.L., Apicella, M.A., McEwan, A.G., and Jennings, M.P.  Azurin of pathogenic Neisseria spp. is involved in defense against hydrogen peroxide and survival within cervical epithelial cells.  Infection and Immunity 73(12):8444-8448, 2005.
16. Tyrer, P., Foxwell, A.R., Cripps, A.W., Apicella, M.A., and Kyd, J.M.  Microbial pattern recognition receptors mediate M-cell uptake of a gram-negative bacterium.  Infection and Immunity 74(1):625-631, 2006.