Peterson ARG Lab
Ongoing Research
The Peterson Antibiotic Resistance Gene (ARG) Lab investigates antimicrobial resistance from the molecular to ecological, integrating biochemical, genetic, and environmental approaches.
1. Functional Analysis of Mycobacterial Resistance Proteins: We are exploring ATP-binding cassette (ABC) family proteins from various Mycobacterium species (both clinical pathogens and model organisms) to better understand the molecular mechanisms and critical protein domains involved in antimicrobial resistance. We have identified candidate ABC resistance-associated genes and started characterizing their function through molecular cloning for heterologous gene expression in an E. coli model system. In this system, we will obtain wild-type and mutant ABC proteins for biochemical characterization to analyze protein functionality. These projects provide undergraduate trainees with experience in experimental design, molecular cloning, protein purification, and biochemical analyses.
2. Environmental Surveillance of Resistance Genes: Antimicrobial resistance is not confined to hospitals or clinics, but instead moves through environments shaped by human behavior. These resistance genes naturally occur in antibiotic-producer soil organisms, like Streptomyces and Bacilli, but have spread through various horizontal gene transfer mechanisms to other soil microbes and eventually clinical pathogens in response to our overuse and misuse of antibiotics. We are investigating how specific community-associated activities may influence the distribution of resistance genes in environmental microbiomes. This work combines targeted molecular detection of specific antibiotic resistance genes with qPCR with broader microbial community profiling through metagenomic sequencing to assess resistance gene prevalence and microbial communities across selected environments. These projects provide undergraduate trainees with experience in experimental design, soil/water genome extraction, qPCR, and metagenomic sequencing analysis.
1. Functional Analysis of Mycobacterial Resistance Proteins: We are exploring ATP-binding cassette (ABC) family proteins from various Mycobacterium species (both clinical pathogens and model organisms) to better understand the molecular mechanisms and critical protein domains involved in antimicrobial resistance. We have identified candidate ABC resistance-associated genes and started characterizing their function through molecular cloning for heterologous gene expression in an E. coli model system. In this system, we will obtain wild-type and mutant ABC proteins for biochemical characterization to analyze protein functionality. These projects provide undergraduate trainees with experience in experimental design, molecular cloning, protein purification, and biochemical analyses.
2. Environmental Surveillance of Resistance Genes: Antimicrobial resistance is not confined to hospitals or clinics, but instead moves through environments shaped by human behavior. These resistance genes naturally occur in antibiotic-producer soil organisms, like Streptomyces and Bacilli, but have spread through various horizontal gene transfer mechanisms to other soil microbes and eventually clinical pathogens in response to our overuse and misuse of antibiotics. We are investigating how specific community-associated activities may influence the distribution of resistance genes in environmental microbiomes. This work combines targeted molecular detection of specific antibiotic resistance genes with qPCR with broader microbial community profiling through metagenomic sequencing to assess resistance gene prevalence and microbial communities across selected environments. These projects provide undergraduate trainees with experience in experimental design, soil/water genome extraction, qPCR, and metagenomic sequencing analysis.