Dr. Poonam Gulati Microbiology

Office:       N-817
Email:       gulati@dt.uh.edu
Phone:      713 - 221 - 8006 (office)

Research Interest:
My research involves studying how cells interact with each other and how this interaction leads to cellular differentiation. Myxococcus xanthus, is a Gram negative, soil bacterium that initiates development upon nutrient limitation. During this time, the rod-shaped vegetative cells changes into spores. This developmental cycle requires cell-cell signaling. We want to understand how one signal works early during development. This signal, termed A signal, allows the cells to sense their environment and then react in an appropriate manner. M. xanthus is an excellent system to study cell-cell signaling because it is a prokaryote. Thus, it is easy to use for biochemical and genetic studies. It is also the only prokaryote that proceeds through development multicellularly. Thus, understanding this system may help to understand more complex systems.