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Herve Agaisse, PhD

Herve Agaisse, PhD

Professor, Microbiology, Immunology, and Cancer Biology

Primary Location
Pinn Hall, 7th floor, Room 7221
Charlottesville, VA 22908
Fax Number
434.982.1071

Bio & Overview

The Agaisse Lab is associated with the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cancer Biology (MIC). Our laboratory studies the bacterial pathogen Shigella flexneri, which causes approximately 270 million cases of bacillary dysentery (blood in stool) worldwide every year, resulting in more than 200,000 deaths. Our objective is to understand the molecular and cellular mechanisms supporting the disease in order to rationally design therapeutic interventions. We utilize a multi-disciplinary approach integrating molecular and cellular microbiology, bacterial and host cell genomics, bioinformatics and unique animal models of pathogenesis.

Academic Information

Department
Microbiology, Immunology, and Cancer Biology
Academic Title
Associate Professor

Primary Education

  • PhD, Microbiology, Pasteur Institutenull
  • Postdoc, Harvard Medical Schoolnull

Other Affiliations

  • MSTP
  • BIMS

Research Interests

Genetic approaches, cellular and molecular biology of intracellular pathogen infection

Research Disciplines

  • Biophysics & Structural Biology
  • Computational Biology
  • Genetics
  • Immunology
  • Infectious Diseases/Biodefense
  • Microbiology
  • Molecular Biology

Research Opportunities

  • Biophysics & Structural Biology
  • Computational Biology
  • Immunology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Physiological Basis of Human Disease

PhD Programs

  • Microbiology

Selected Publications

2022

Hall, C. P., Jadeja, N. B., Sebeck, N., & Agaisse, H. (2022). Characterization of MxiE- and H-NS-Dependent Expression of ipaH7.8, ospC1, yccE, and yfdF in Shigella flexneri. MSPHERE, 7(6). doi:10.1128/msphere.00485-22

Weddle, E. A., Koseoglu, V. K., DeVasure, B. A., & Agaisse, H. F. (2022). The type three secretion system effector protein IpgB1 promotes Shigella flexneri cell-to-cell spread through double-membrane vacuole escape. PLOS PATHOGENS, 18(2). doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.1010380

Koseoglu, V. K., Jones, M. K., & Agaisse, H. (2022). The type 3 secretion effector IpgD promotes S. flexneri dissemination. PLOS PATHOGENS, 18(2). doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.1010324

2021

Shankman, L. S., Fleury, S. T., Evans, W. B., Penberthy, K. K., Arandjelovic, S., Blumberg, R. S., . . . Ravichandran, K. S. (2021). Efferocytosis by Paneth cells within the intestine. CURRENT BIOLOGY, 31(11), 2469-+. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2021.03.055

2020

Leslie, J. L., Weddle, E., Yum, L. K., Lin, Y., Jenior, M. L., Lee, B., . . . Petri, W. A. J. (2021). Lewis Blood-group Antigens Are Associated With Altered Susceptibility to Shigellosis. CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES, 72(11), E868-E871. doi:10.1093/cid/ciaa1409

2019

Yum, L. K., & Agaisse, H. (2020). Mechanisms of bacillary dysentery: lessons learnt from infant rabbits. GUT MICROBES, 11(3), 597-602. doi:10.1080/19490976.2019.1667726

Koseoglu, V. K., & Agaisse, H. (2019). Evolutionary Perspectives on the Moonlighting Functions of Bacterial Factors That Support Actin-Based Motility. MBIO, 10(4). doi:10.1128/mBio.01520-19

Michard, C., Yum, L. K., & Agaisse, H. (2019). WIPF2 promotes Shigella flexneri actin-based motility and cell-to-cell spread. CELLULAR MICROBIOLOGY, 21(12). doi:10.1111/cmi.13098

Koseoglu, V. K., Hall, C. P., Rodriguez-Lopez, E. M., & Agaisse, H. (2019). The Autotransporter IcsA Promotes Shigella flexneri Biofilm Formation in the Presence of Bile Salts. INFECTION AND IMMUNITY, 87(7). doi:10.1128/IAI.00861-18

Yum, L. K., Byndloss, M. X., Feldman, S. H., & Agaisse, H. (2019). Critical role of bacterial dissemination in an infant rabbit model of bacillary dysentery. NATURE COMMUNICATIONS, 10. doi:10.1038/s41467-019-09808-4

Medeiros, P. H. Q. S., Ledwaba, S. E., Bolick, D. T., Giallourou, N., Yum, L. K., Costa, D. V. S., . . . Guerrant, R. L. (2019). A murine model of diarrhea, growth impairment and metabolic disturbances with Shigella flexneri infection and the role of zinc deficiency. GUT MICROBES, 10(5), 615-630. doi:10.1080/19490976.2018.1564430

2018

Weddle, E., & Agaisse, H. (2018). Principles of intracellular bacterial pathogen spread from cell to cell. PLOS PATHOGENS, 14(12). doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.1007380

Weddle, E., & Agaisse, H. (2018). Spatial, Temporal, and Functional Assessment of LC3-Dependent Autophagy in Shigella flexneri Dissemination. INFECTION AND IMMUNITY, 86(8). doi:10.1128/IAI.00134-18

Anderson, C. J., Satkovich, J., Koeseoglu, V. K., Agaisse, H., & Kendall, M. M. (2018). The Ethanolamine Permease EutH Promotes Vacuole Adaptation of Salmonella enterica and Listeria monocytogenes during Macrophage Infection. INFECTION AND IMMUNITY, 86(5). doi:10.1128/IAI.00172-18

2017

Rossi, R. M., Yum, L., Agaisse, H., & Payne, S. M. (2017). Cardiolipin Synthesis and Outer Membrane Localization Are Required for Shigella flexneri Virulence. MBIO, 8(4). doi:10.1128/mBio.01199-17

2016

Alvarez, D. E., & Agaisse, H. (2016). The Metalloprotease Mpl Supports Listeria monocytogenes Dissemination through Resolution of Membrane Protrusions into Vacuoles. INFECTION AND IMMUNITY, 84(6), 1806-1814. doi:10.1128/IAI.00130-16

Agaisse, H. (2016). Molecular and Cellular Mechanisms of Shigella flexneri Dissemination. FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY, 6. doi:10.3389/fcimb.2016.00029

2015

Borinskaya, S., Velle, K. B., Campellone, K. G., Talman, A., Alvarez, D., Agaisse, H., . . . Mayer, B. J. (2016). Integration of linear and dendritic actin nucleation in Nck-induced actin comets. MOLECULAR BIOLOGY OF THE CELL, 27(2), 247-259. doi:10.1091/mbc.E14-11-1555

Kuehl, C. J., Dragoi, A. -M., Talman, A., & Agaisse, H. (2015). Bacterial spread from cell to cell: beyond actin-based motility. TRENDS IN MICROBIOLOGY, 23(9), 558-566. doi:10.1016/j.tim.2015.04.010

Agaisse, H. (2015). Shigella flexneri serotype 3a: the rise of a superbug. LANCET INFECTIOUS DISEASES, 15(8), 867-+. doi:10.1016/S1473-3099(15)00003-1

Dragoi, A. -M., & Agaisse, H. (2015). The Class II Phosphatidylinositol 3-Phosphate Kinase PIK3C2A Promotes Shigella flexneri Dissemination through Formation of Vacuole-Like Protrusions. INFECTION AND IMMUNITY, 83(4), 1695-1704. doi:10.1128/IAI.03138-14

Alvarez, D. E., & Agaisse, H. (2015). A role for the small GTPase Rac1 in vaccinia actin-based motility.. Small GTPases, 6(2), 119-122. doi:10.1080/21541248.2015.1055182

Agaisse, H., & Derre, I. (2015). STIM1 Is a Novel Component of ER-Chlamydia trachomatis Inclusion Membrane Contact Sites. PLOS ONE, 10(4). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0125671

2014

Heisig, M., Abraham, N. M., Liu, L., Neelakanta, G., Mattessich, S., Sultana, H., . . . Fikrig, E. (2014). Antivirulence Properties of an Antifreeze Protein. Cell Reports, 9(6), 2344. doi:10.1016/j.celrep.2014.12.003

Heisig, M., Abraham, N. M., Liu, L., Neelakanta, G., Mattessich, S., Sultana, H., . . . Fikrig, E. (2014). Antivirulence Properties of an Antifreeze Protein. CELL REPORTS, 9(2), 417-424. doi:10.1016/j.celrep.2014.09.034

Dragoi, A. -M., & Agaisse, H. (2014). The Serine/Threonine Kinase STK11 Promotes Shigella flexneri Dissemination through Establishment of Cell-Cell Contacts Competent for Tyrosine Kinase Signaling. INFECTION AND IMMUNITY, 82(11), 4447-4457. doi:10.1128/IAI.02078-14

Dragoi, A. -M., Swiss, R., Gao, B., & Agaisse, H. (2014). Novel Strategies to Enforce an Epithelial Phenotype in Mesenchymal Cells. CANCER RESEARCH, 74(14), 3659-3672. doi:10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-13-3231

Agaisse, H., & Derre, I. (2014). Expression of the Effector Protein IncD in Chlamydia trachomatis Mediates Recruitment of the Lipid Transfer Protein CERT and the Endoplasmic Reticulum-Resident Protein VAPB to the Inclusion Membrane. INFECTION AND IMMUNITY, 82(5), 2037-2047. doi:10.1128/IAI.01530-14

Alvarez, D. E., & Agaisse, H. (2014). A role for the small GTPase Rac1 in vaccinia actin-based motility.. Small GTPases, 5(2), e29038. doi:10.4161/sgtp.29038

Kuehl, C. J., Dragoi, A. -M., & Agaisse, H. (2014). The Shigella flexneri Type 3 Secretion System Is Required for Tyrosine Kinase-Dependent Protrusion Resolution, and Vacuole Escape during Bacterial Dissemination. PLOS ONE, 9(11). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0112738

2013

Talman, A. M., Chong, R., Chia, J., Svitkina, T., & Agaisse, H. (2014). Actin network disassembly powers dissemination of Listeria monocytogenes. JOURNAL OF CELL SCIENCE, 127(1), 240-249. doi:10.1242/jcs.140038

Alvarez, D. E., & Agaisse, H. (2013). The formin FHOD1 and the small GTPase Rac1 promote vaccinia virus actin-based motility. JOURNAL OF CELL BIOLOGY, 202(7), 1075-1090. doi:10.1083/jcb.201303055

Dragoi, A. -M., & Agaisse, H. (2014). Tyrosine kinases, drugs, and Shigella flexneri dissemination. GUT MICROBES, 5(1), 44-47. doi:10.4161/gmic.26523

McDonough, J. A., Newton, H. J., Klum, S., Swiss, R., Agaisse, H., & Roy, C. R. (2013). Host Pathways Important for Coxiella burnetii Infection Revealed by Genome-Wide RNA Interference Screening. MBIO, 4(1). doi:10.1128/mBio.00606-12

Agaisse, H., & Derre, I. (2013). A C-trachomatis Cloning Vector and the Generation of C-trachomatis Strains Expressing Fluorescent Proteins under the Control of a C-trachomatis Promoter. PLOS ONE, 8(2). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0057090

2012

Dragoi, A. -M., Talman, A. M., & Agaisse, H. (2013). Bruton's Tyrosine Kinase Regulates Shigella flexneri Dissemination in HT-29 Intestinal Cells. INFECTION AND IMMUNITY, 81(2), 598-607. doi:10.1128/IAI.00853-12

Zhou, F., Rasmussen, A., Lee, S., & Agaisse, H. (2013). The UPD3 cytokine couples environmental challenge and intestinal stem cell division through modulation of JAK/STAT signaling in the stem cell microenvironment. DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY, 373(2), 383-393. doi:10.1016/j.ydbio.2012.10.023

2011

Alvarez, D. E., & Agaisse, H. (2012). Casein kinase 2 regulates vaccinia virus actin tail formation. VIROLOGY, 423(2), 143-151. doi:10.1016/j.virol.2011.12.003

Derre, I., Swiss, R., & Agaisse, H. (2011). The Lipid Transfer Protein CERT Interacts with the Chlamydia Inclusion Protein IncD and Participates to ER-Chlamydia Inclusion Membrane Contact Sites. PLOS PATHOGENS, 7(6). doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.1002092

Chong, R., Squires, R., Swiss, R., & Agaisse, H. (2011). RNAi Screen Reveals Host Cell Kinases Specifically Involved in Listeria monocytogenes Spread from Cell to Cell. PLOS ONE, 6(8). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0023399