ATSU Faculty Research

Coxiella burnetii, the etiological agent of Q fever, is an obligate intracellular bacterium that replicates within a lysosome-derived compartment called the Coxiella-containing vacuole (CCV). Chronic infections can cause life-threatening endocarditis, and prolonged antibiotic therapy is often required. Successful pathogenesis requires CCV expansion and maintenance which depend on rerouting host lipids. However, the molecular mechanisms by which Coxiella manipulates host lipid trafficking remain unclear. This project aims to define how host lipid transport pathways, particularly those associated with lipid transfer proteins (LTPs) localized at membrane contact sites (MCS) mediating non-vesicular lipid trafficking, contribute to C. burnetii pathogenesis.