Abu-Kwaik Lab

About

The theme of the research focus of the Abukwaik lab is on host-microbe interaction, and in particular modulation of host cell biology and evasion of innate immunity by microbial pathogens to inflict disease. The research examines the interaction of the pneumonia-causing bacteria, Legionella, with human macrophages and neutrophils, as well as its interaction with its amoebae natural hosts.  Legionella is the only known bacterial human pathogen whose natural hosts are amoebae species in the aquatic environment.  It is believed that these bacteria have evolved to proliferate within human macrophages due to their evolution and adaptation to evade predation by amoebae and further evolution of the bacteria to replicate within amoebae species, which graze on most other bacteria.  The transmission electron micrograph on the right shows an amoebae cell filled with Legionella bacteria after 16h of infection by a single bacterium.  

The research also examines the cell biology and molecular signaling of phagocytosis of various amoebae species by human monocytes-derived macrophages, which are smaller in size than most amoebae species.   

Key Research Areas

• Bacteria-macrophage interaction
• Bacteria-Neutrophils interaction
• Amoebae-macrophage interaction
• Amoebae- Neutrophils interaction
• Microbial genetics
• Immune evasion by microbes
• Modulation of host cell biology by microbes
• Molecular, biochemical and cell biology approaches
• Live cell imaging of the infection

Team

1) Omar Harb, Ph. D. student, graduated Aug. 1999.

2) Lian-Yong Gao, a Ph. D. student, graduated in May, 1999.  

3)  Lisa Pedersen, Ph. D. student, graduated in June 2000.   

4)  Steve Zink, Ph. D. student, graduated Aug. 2002.  

5)  Maêlle Malmoret, Ph. D., Co-mentor her Ph. D. Oct. 2000-Dec. 2001. 

6)  Alaeddin Abu-Zant, Ph. D. Microbiology and Immunology. graduated 2003.

7)  Rexford Asari, Ph. D. Microbiology and Immunology, graduated in 2007.

8)  Fabien Habyarimana.  Ph. D. Dept. of MI, University of Louisville (UL), graduated 2008.

9)  Souhaila Al-Khodor.  Ph. D. Dept. of MI, University of Louisville (UL), graduated 2010.

10)  Tasneem Al-Quadan.  Ph. D. Dept. of MI, University of Louisville (UL). graduated 2011.

11) Mathew Bruckett, Ph. D. Dept. of MI, University of Louisville (UL).  Graduated Dec. 2014

12)  Hala Samara, Dept. of MI, University of Louisville (UL).  Graduated 2016

13)  Ashley M. Richards, Ph. D. Dept. of MI, University of Louisville (UL).  Graduated 2018

14)  John David Perpich, Ph. D. Dept. of MI, University of Louisville (UL).  Graduated 2018

15)  Juanita von-Dwingelo, Ph. D. Dept. of MI, University of Louisville (UL).  Graduated Aug. 2019

16) Bethany Vaughn, Dept. Ph. D. of MI, University of Louisville (UL).  Graduated May. 2023

17)  Hannah Hanford, Ph. D. Dept. of MI, University of Louisville (UL).  Graduated Dec. 2024

18) Cheon-Jee Shin, Dept. of MI, University of Louisville (UL).  Current Ph. D. student

19)  Manal Da’as, Dept. of MI, University of Louisville (UL).  Current Ph. D. student

20) Dr. Christopher Price.  Dept. of MI, University of Louisville (UL).  Research Scientist

Recent Publications

1. Price, C. T., Al-Quadan, T., Santic, M., Rosenshine, I., Abu Kwaik, Y. Host Proteasomal Degradation Generates Amino Acids Essential for Intracellular Bacterial Growth.  2011, Science 334, 1553-1557[DOI:10.1126/science.1212868].   

2. Bruckert WM, Abu Kwaik Y (2015).  The complete and ubiquitinated proteome of the Legionella-containing vacuole within human macrophages. J. Proteome Res., 14, 236−248.  DOI: 10.1021/pr500765x.

3. Abu Kwaik, Y. and Bumann, D. (2015).  Host Delivery of Favorite Meals for Intracellular Pathogens.  PLoS Pathog 11(6): e1004866. doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.1004866.

4. Best, A and Abu Kwaik, Y (2018). Evolution of the arsenal of Legionella pneumophila effectors to modulate protist hosts. mBio 9:e01313-18. https://doi.org/10.1128/mBio. 
5. .01313-18.

6. Von Dwingelo, Y., Chung, I., Price C. T., Li, L., Jones, S., Cygler, M., and Abu Kwaik, Y (2019). Interaction of the Ankyrin H Core Effector of Legionella with the Host LARP7 component of the 7SK snRNP complex.  mBio 10:e01942-19. https://doi.org/10.1128/mBio.01942-19.

7. Price, C. Jones, S., Mihelcic, M., Marina Santic, and Abu Kwaik, Y (2020).  Paradoxical Pro-inflammatory Responses by Human Macrophages to an Amoebae Host-Adapted Legionella Effector.  Cell Host& Microbe 27, 571–584. DOI:10.1016/j.chom.2020.03.003.

8. Hanford, H. E., Von Dwingelo, J., and Abu Kwaik, Y (2021).  Bacterial Nucleomodulins: A Co-evolutionary Adaptation to the Eukaryotic Command Center.  pLoS Pathogens, 17(1): e1009184. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1009184.

9. Vaughn^, B. and Abu Kwaik, Y. (2021).  Idiosyncratic Biogenesis of the Vacuoles Harboring Intracellular Pathogens.  Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol. 11:722433. doi:10.3389/fcimb.2021.722433.

10. Hanford HE, Price CTD, Uriarte S, Kwaik YA. Inhibition and evasion of neutrophilmicrobicidal responses by Legionella longbeachae. mBio 0:e03274-24.

11. Price CTD, Hanford HE, Al-Quadan T, Santic M, Shin CJ, Da'as MSJ, Abu Kwaik Y. Amoebae as training grounds for microbial pathogens. mBio. 2024 Aug 14;15(8):e0082724. doi: 10.1128/mbio.00827-24. Epub 2024 Jul 8. PMID: 38975782; PMCID: PMC11323580.

12. Shin CJ and Abu Kwaik Y (2026) Molecular evolution and adaptations of Legionella pneumophila from amoebae hosts to macrophages. Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol. 16:1787137. doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2026.1787137.

13. Shin, C-J., Price, C. T. D., Da’as, M. S., Abu Kwaik, Y.  Localization of the PelC and PelE effectors to the Legionella-containing Vacuole Through Host-Mediated Prenylation and Their Role in Intracellular Proliferation.  Infect. Immun. 2025, In Press.