Valeria Culotta
Metal ions & oxygen radicals in biology & disease
Professor
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Bloomberg School of Public Health
Research Overview
Research in the Culotta lab focuses on the role of metal ions and oxygen radicals in biology and disease. Metal ions such as copper, iron and manganese are essential micronutrients for both microbial pathogens and their animal hosts, and during infection, a tug of war for these nutrients ensues at the host-pathogen interface. As part of our immune response, we withhold essential metals from pathogens and also bombard them with free radicals or so-called reactive oxygen species (ROS). Successful pathogens have evolved clever ways to thwart these assaults by the host. Using a combination of biochemical, cell biology, and molecular genetic approaches we are exploring how microbes and their animal hosts use weapons of metals and ROS at the infection battleground. Our current emphasis is on pathogenic fungi including the most prevalent human fungal pathogen, Candida albicans, and the emerging “superbug” fungal pathogen, Candida auris.
Additional Titles
Director of Postdoctoral Training, School of Public Health
Associate Vice Provost for Postdoctoral Affairs, Johns Hopkins University
Selected Publications
- Wildeman AS, Patel NK, Cormack BP, Culotta VC. The role of manganese in morphogenesis and pathogenesis of the opportunistic fungal pathogen Candida albicans. PLoS Pathogens, 2023.
- Chandler CE, Hernandez FG, Totten M, Robinett NG, Schatzman SS, Zhang SX, Culotta VC. Biochemical Analysis of CaurSOD4, a Potential Therapeutic Target for the Emerging Fungal Pathogen Candida auris. ACS Infectious Diseases, 2022.
- Culbertson EM, Culotta VC. Copper in infectious disease: Using both sides of the penny. Seminars in Cell & Developmental Biololgy, 2021
- Robinett NG, Culbertson EM, Peterson RL, Sanchez H, Andes DR, Nett JE, Culotta VC. Exploiting the vulnerable active site of a copper-only superoxide dismutase to disrupt fungal pathogenesis. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 2019.
- Li CX, Gleason JE, Zhang SX, Bruno VM, Cormack BP, Culotta VC. Candida albicans adapts to host copper during infection by swapping metal cofactors for superoxide dismutase. PNAS, 2015.