Dr. Linda Laatsch is engaged in research in two areas. First,
in the field of clinical bacteriology, she has explored the prevalence
of bacteria in the oral cavity and in dental infections. Dr. Laatsch and Phyllis Kirchner also collaborate with physical therapy faculty members researching the effects of antiseptic agents on common wound bacterial pathogens. Dr. Laatsch's second research interest is that of education methodologies in clinical laboratory science education. She has recently studied the effects of cooperative learning on teamwork attitudes and achievement of CLS students. Collectively, this research enables Dr. Laatsch to contribute to the scientific foundation of clinical laboratory science while exploring innovative ways to communicate this science to students.
What is PCG and
what does it do?
Dr. April Harkins'
research is in polarized cell growth. PCG is the directional
growth a cell uses in order to perform a specialized function
or to actually move 
to
a different location. PCG is an essential function of most eukaryotic cells and is a major function of cells involved in processes, such as developing embryonic cells, growing neural cells and spreading tumor cells. We study this process using the yeast cell, the simple eukaryotic model of research. Our interest is mainly with lipid signaling, mediated by the enzyme phospholipase D1 (PLD1), leading to PCG.
The
pheromone response in non-pathogenic yeasts, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Schizosaccharomyces
pombe, provides
a model of
research in which the cells change shape in response to small
peptide pheromones. The ability of the pathogenic yeast Candida
albicans to
switch from yeast cell to hyphal cell defines the yeast as dimorphic,
which requires the process of PCG.
More importantly, C. albicans relies
on the dimorphic switch in order to invade tissue and cause disease. Exploiting
the role of the lipids and the interactions with signaling proteins
will allow a better understanding of the virulence of the hyphal
transition.
