Prof. C. J. Dorman - Research Page

Research Activities – Professor C.J. Dorman

PROKARYOTIC GENE REGULATION

Charles J. Dorman, B.Sc. (N.U.I.), M.A., Ph.D., Sc.D., F.T.C.D., M.R.I.A., Head of the School of Genetics and Microbiology.

E-mail: cjdorman@tcd.ie *This chair was formerly the Professorship of Bacteriology and Preventive Medicine, established in 1919.

CJ Dorman

Phase-variable expression of type 1 fimbriae in Escherichia coli K-12. Molecular biology of the site-specific recombination system: interplay of recombinases, accessory factors, DNA topology. Structure-function analysis of the FimB and FimE site-specific recombinases. Analysis of protein-DNA interactions in vivo and in vitro. Influence of transcriptionally- induced variations in DNA supercoiling on recombination.
Stationary-phase control of spv virulence gene transcription in Salmonella typhimurium. Role of the SpvR regulatory protein, RpoS sigma factor, H-NS nucleoid-associated protein. Isolation of novel regulators. Influence of DNA topology. Microbial Evolution.
The virulence gene regulatory cascade of Shigella flexneri. Structure and functions of the VirF and VirB regulatory proteins. Influence of DNA topology. Genetic instability within the S. flexneri virulence plasmid.
Nucleoid-associated protein H-NS and its homologue StpA in enteric bacteria. Regulation of hns and stpA gene expression.

Research Fellows:

Postgraduate Researchers:
Ms. H. Quinn quinnh@tcd.ie