Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus · BiologyPontes Lab
Mauricio Henriques Pontes · University Park, Pennsylvania
Research Focus
Dr. Mauricio Henriques Pontes leads a research lab focused on understanding the unique interactions between a bacterium called Sodalis glossinidius and tsetse flies, which are known vectors for serious diseases like sleeping sickness. The lab aims to uncover how this bacterium survives and replicates within the fly, potentially paving the way for innovative strategies to control trypanosomiasis. By employing advanced genetic techniques, the lab explores how modifying this bacterium could help in producing flies that resist trypanosome infections.
Sodalis glossinidiustsetse fliestrypanosomiasisbacterial endosymbiontsgenetic modificationCRISPRmolecular interactions
Research Aims
5AIM 01Investigate the proteins secreted by Sodalis glossinidius within insect cells.
AIM 02Identify the genes that enable Sodalis to survive and replicate in tsetse flies.
AIM 03Understand the mechanisms allowing Sodalis to evade the tsetse immune response.
AIM 04Develop genetic tools for manipulating Sodalis glossinidius.
AIM 05Explore the potential of Sodalis as a paratransgenic agent to combat trypanosomiasis.
Skills the Lab Values
CRISPRtransposon mutagenesisbacteriophage recombineeringcell culturemolecular cloningprotein tagginggenetic engineeringin vitro infection modelshigh-throughput sequencing
Output against the department
Publications29bottom 3% of dept.996th of 1,033
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations1.7kbottom 11% of dept.921st of 1,033
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.