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Research Description Nitric oxide (NO) is a well-known antimicrobial component of the innate immune response of both invertebrate and vertebrate animals. Previous immunochemistry studies have shown that Vibrio fischeri encounters high concentrations of NO during the colonization with its natural host Euprymna scolopes. My research focuses on what role(s) NO plays in the establishment of Euprymna scolopes-Vibrio fischeri symbiosis, particularly how Vibrio fischeri responds to and survives in NO stress. I am interested in the role of an unusual heme-NO-binding protein (HNOX), which binds specifically to NO, not to O2. The working model hypothesizes that HNOX acts as a NO-sensor that functions with downstream two-component signaling transduction system to regulate genes involved in bacterial response to NO stress and symbiosis.
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