51猎奇

All People

Ching-Hong Yang

  • Member, Milwaukee Institute for Drug Discovery (MIDD)

Distinguished Professor of Biological Sciences and Microbiology

Research Area

Development of antibiotic alternatives for disease treatment and preventions. With the rise of antibiotic resistance, it is crucial to be creative and find new ways of harnessing undiscovered antimicrobials. Virulence inhibitors (VIs) are compounds that inhibit the expression of virulence genes but do not affect the survival of bacterial pathogens. Thus, there is no direct selective pressure for bacteria to mutate to resist the virulence inhibitors compared to traditional antibiotics. However, as virulence genes are essential for the pathogens to cause infection, 鈥渟hutting off鈥� the virulence genes can effectively prevent disease from occurring. Additionally, unlike antibiotics that kill both pathogens and non-pathogens without any selection, virulence inhibitors only target the pathogens that contain the virulence genes and thus do not affect the non-pathogenic environmental bacteria. The target specificity of VIs further reduces the likelihood of resistance development and spread.

Organic agricultural production in the United States is challenged by the lack of adequate organic disease control measures. Antibiotic sprays of streptomycin and oxytetracycline (used for human medicine) are one of the few options that can effectively suppress bacterial diseases in commercial orchards. This puts an urgent need to develop new control strategies for both organic and conventional growers. Biopesticides are classified as the pesticides derived from natural materials such as animals, plants, microbes, or a synthetic version of something naturally occurring that is structurally similar and functionally identical.听 We use a method called 鈥楶ROMISA鈥� that uses the conditions that mimic the natural environment to grow and isolate the microbes from nature.听 Natural metabolites were identified for their use in disease management. The aims of this study are to identify novel, potent, new antibiotics, develop selective virulence inhibitors, and study the effect of these antimicrobials on key targets of the bacterial pathogens.

听Novel approaches to study microbial ecology using microbial diversity profiling. The quantitative description of microbial communities is one of the most promising areas of research in microbial ecology. New techniques in molecular ecology have now opened the door for revolutionary advances in our understanding of microbial communities in nature as well as the identification of new microorganisms and microbial products that can be harnessed for biotechnology. We have been especially interested in developing novel approaches to analyze microbial diversity that are associated with plants. Our most recent work focuses on interactions between plants and microorganisms using 16S and 18S rDNA profiling.

Application of functional genomic tools to investigate microbial gene expression in different environments. With the availability of complete genome sequences of different microorganisms, functional genomic tools provide a powerful approach for identifying microbial genes that are expressed during the association of bacteria with their hosts in response to various environmental factors. Techniques we are using include a custom-designed microarray, fluorescence-activated cell sorting, and bioinformatic tools to explore genes of bacterial pathogens that are involved in type III secretion regulon and pathogenesis.

Selected publication

  1. Yuan X, Yu M, Yang CH. Microorganisms. 2020 Dec 9;8(12):1956.
  2. Yuan X, Zeng Q, Xu J, Severin GB, Zhou X, Waters CM, Sundin GW, Ibekwe AM, Liu F, Yang CH. 2020. Mol Plant Microbe Interact 33:296-307.
  3. Han Z, Ma J, Yang CH, Ibekwe AM. 2020. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int doi:10.1007/s11356-020-10942-6.
  4. Yuan X, Zeng Q, Khokhani D, Tian F, Severin GB, Waters CM, Xu J, Zhou X, Sundin GW, Ibekwe AM, Liu F, Yang CH. 2019. Environ Microbiol 21:2755-2771.
  5. Cui Z, Yang CH, Kharadi RR, Yuan X, Sundin GW, Triplett LR, Wang J, Zeng Q. 2019. PLoS Pathog 15:e1007703.
  6. Yuan X, Tian F, He C, Severin GB, Waters CM, Zeng Q, Liu F, Yang CH. 2018. Mol Plant Pathol 19:1873-86.
  7. Li L, Ma J, Mark Ibekwe A, Wang Q, Yang C-H. 2018. Plant and Soil 429:519-531.
  8. Cui Z, Yuan X, Yang CH, Huntley RB, Sun W, Wang J, Sundin GW, Zeng Q. 2018. Front Microbiol 9:1429.
  9. Patel RR, Sundin GW, Yang CH, Wang J, Huntley RB, Yuan X, Zeng Q. 2017. Front Microbiol 8:687.
  10. Fan S, Tian F, Li J, Hutchins W, Chen H, Yang F, Yuan X, Cui Z, Yang CH, He C. 2017. Mol Plant Pathol 18:555-568.
  11. Yu C, Wang N, Wu M, Tian F, Chen H, Yang F, Yuan X, Yang CH, He C. 2016. BMC Microbiol 16:269.
  12. Sundin GW, Castiblanco LF, Yuan X, Zeng Q, Yang CH. 2016. Mol Plant Pathol 17:1506-1518.
  13. Yuan X, Khokhani D, Wu X, Yang F, Biener G, Koestler BJ, Raicu V, He C, Waters CM, Sundin GW, Tian F, Yang CH. 2015. Environ Microbiol 17:4745-63.
  14. Li Y, Hutchins W, Wu X, Liang C, Zhang C, Yuan X, Khokhani D, Chen X, Che Y, Wang Q, Yang CH. 2015.. Mol Plant Pathol 16:150-63.
  15. Khokhani D, Zhang C, Li Y, Wang Q, Zeng Q, Yamazaki A, Hutchins W, Zhou SS, Chen X, Yang CH. 2013. Appl Environ Microbiol 79:5424-36.