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Faculty Profile Last Modified Time: 09:52:22 AM Mon, 13 Apr 2020   Contact Information Adam Kuspa Associated Profiles  President, The Welch Foundation   The Welch Foundation    Dictyostelium Genomics, Cellular Regulatory Mechanisms that Govern Cell Differentiation in Eukaryotes, Dictyostelium Host-Pathogen Interactions    Associated Profiles Research and Expertise Affiliations Appointments  Research and Expertise Research Interests   Dr. Kuspa's research involves the use of Dictyostelium to study problems of development and host-pathogen interactions, with an emphasis on cellular communication, cell differentiation and innate immunity. Dr. Kuspa initiated genomic studies in Dictyostelium as a postdoctoral fellow – a project that led to a collaboration with Dr. Richard Gibbs and the Human Genome Sequencing Center at BCM and culminated in the completion of the first amoebal genome sequence in 2005. With Dr. Gad Shaulsky at BCM, Dr. Kuspa also pioneered the functional analysis of the genome by developing methods for gene function discovery. Dr. Kuspa's laboratory has also discovered novel determinants of Legionella pathogenesis involving the cleavage of Dictyostelium's mitochondrial ribosomal rRNA and conserved proteins involved in vesicular trafficking. Recently, Dr. Kuspa's laboratory discovered an innate immune system in Dictyostelium mediated by TIR domain signaling pathways. Intriguingly, mutants in this pathway are defective in immune function during development and are compromised in their bacterial feeding behavior during vegetative growth. The apparent requirement of innate immune functions for growth on bacteria suggests that innate immunity evolved from bacterial foraging mechanisms in the progenitor of the crown group eukaryotes.  Publications/Creative Works Click here to search for this faculty member's publications on PubMed.  Affiliations  Research Consortia GCC Cluster for Cellular and Molecular Biophysics Gulf Coast Cluster for Single Cell Omics  Appointments Title Department / School Institution President   The Welch Foundation

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