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Conor P. O’Byrne B.Sc., Ph.D.

Lecturer

Contact Information:
Tel.: 353 (0)91 493957 (ext. 3957).
Fax.: 353 (0)91 494598.
E-mail:  conor.obyrnenuigalway.ie

Click here for Dr. O’Byrne’s online lectures
Click here for Dr. O’Byrne’s www links
Click here for the Bacterial Stress Response Group website

Research Interests

Our research focuses on the human bacterial pathogen Listeria monocytogenes. This Gram-positive bacterium is found widely in the environment and is associated with sporadic outbreaks of food-borne disease. Though national infection rates are generally low, the mortality rate among infected individuals is high, typically around 20-30%. The organism is a facultative intracellular pathogen, capable of invading and living within cells of the human host. It is extremely good at making the transition between the free-living and host-associated states, an attribute that requires effective responses to the dramatic changes in the environment that occur during this transition. It is these responses that are now the main research interest of our group.

The two main projects ongoing in the lab are looking at molecular responses to low pH and to hyperosmotic shock (elevated osmolarity of the extracellular environment). The experimental approaches used in the lab include transposon mutagenesis, reporter gene fusion studies, proteomics, as well as a range of physiological approaches. Specific genes have been identified that are essential for the organism’s ability to survive or grow when exposed to low pH or hyperosmotic stress. Understanding the precise role of these genes as well how their expression is regulated, will give us valuable insights into the strategies that this organism uses to grow and survive under harsh environmental conditions, such as those found in foods or within the human host. In the long term it is hoped that this research will lead to the rational design of strategies to subvert these stress resistance mechanisms, thereby preventing this pathogen from establishing infections in the human host.

Recent Publications

For a list of publications, follow the link to the Bacterial Stress Response Group

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