Research
My research interest is opportunistic bacterial pathogens that cause persistent infection and chronic disease in the host. My laboratory is currently working with Porphyromonas gingivalis, a Gram negative anaerobic bacterium that is an important pathobiont of the human oral cavity. In addition to causing periodontal disease, P. gingivalis is implicated in promoting systemic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular disease, and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Current projects in my laboratory include 1) defining the mechanisms and circumstances by which P. gingivalis can establish infection at the maternal-fetal interface, induce uterine arterial disease with abnormal placental development, and fetal distress; and 2) assessing the impact of P. gingivalis mediated disruption of autophagy in major arteries and how this influences the progression to atherosclerotic disease.Recent Publications
- Chernov AV1, Reyes L, Xu Z, Gonzalez B, Golovko G, Peterson S, Perucho M, Fofanov Y, Strongin AY. 2015. Mycoplasma CG- and GATC-specific DNA methyltransferases selectively and efficiently methylate the host genome and alter the epigenetic landscape in human cells. Epigenetics. Apr 3
- Brown MB, von Chamier M, Allam AB, and Reyes L. 2014. M1/M2 macrophage polarity in normal and complicated pregnancy. Frontiers in Immunology. Nov 24;5:606. PMID:
25505471
- Allam A, von Chamier M, Brown MB, and Reyes L. 2014. Immune Profiling of BALB/C and C57BL/6 Mice Reveals a Correlation Between Ureaplasma Parvum-Induced Fetal Inflammatory Response Syndrome-Like Pathology and Increased Placental Expression of TLR2 and CD14. Am J Reprod Immunol. 2013
- Reyes L, Rodrigues PH, Chadda AS, Bélanger M, Mcmanis EE, Phillips P., Wallet SM, Barrett AG, Akin D, Dunn W Jr, and Progulske-Fox. 2013. Deletion of lipoprotein gene PG0717 in Porphyromonas gingivalis W83 alters human coronary artery endothelial cell responses during invas
- Reyes L, Herrera D, Kozarov E, Roldan S, and A. Progulske-Fox. 2013 Periodontal bacterial invasion and infection: contribution to atherosclerotic pathology. Invited review, Journal of Periodontology. 2013 Apr;84(4 Suppl):S30-50 PMID: 23631583