Lori L. Burrows

Identification and characterization of new P. aeruginosa phages using a surface receptor platform

The paper introduces a SURFAR platform to identify and characterize new P. aeruginosa phages by targeting specific receptors, isolating two novel phages with distinct host ranges.

A broad-spectrum phage-encoded mechanism to disarm bacterial type IV filaments

This paper identifies Aqs1, a phage-encoded protein that inhibits type IV pilus function in multiple Gram-negative bacteria by targeting the PilB ATPase.

BAY 11-7082 potentiates select β-lactams to inhibit growth of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

This study investigates how BAY 11-7082 enhances the effectiveness of certain β-lactam antibiotics against MRSA by targeting mechanisms distinct from known adjuvants.

The repertoire of resistance mutations selected by a Pseudomonas aeruginosa type IV pilus-targeting lytic bacteriophage

This paper identifies resistance mutations in Pseudomonas aeruginosa exposed to a T4P-targeting phage, showing some mutations allow recovery of pilus function after phage removal.

Structural diversification of phage tail fibres enables recognition of diverse type IV pili

The paper shows how phage tail fibre structure determines their ability to recognize diverse type IV pils despite receptor variation.

Vacidobactin A: An anti-Pseudomonas aeruginosa siderophore

This paper identifies vacidobactin A, a siderophore from Variovorax paradoxus, that inhibits Pseudomonas aeruginosa growth by limiting iron availability and synergizes with thiostrepton.

Reversible biological motion with unidirectional catalysis through inversion of ATPase orientation

The paper shows how the Tad motor ATPase CpaF achieves reversible pilus motion through physical inversion of its orientation, using a single unidirectional catalytic cycle.

Twitching motility suppressors reveal a role for FimX in type IV pilus extension dynamics

The paper identifies suppressor mutations in Pseudomonas aeruginosa that restore twitching motility in fimX mutants, revealing FimX's role in regulating PilB ATP hydrolysis and pilus extension dynamics.

Coordinated conformational changes in the Tad pilus ATPase CpaF facilitate a rotary mechanism of catalysis

The paper determines cryo-EM structures of CpaF in different conformations and proposes a rotary mechanism of catalysis for Tad pilus assembly and disassembly.