Jacqueline Abranches, Ph.D.

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Dissemination of oral bacteria into the bloodstream has been associated with eating, oral hygiene and dental procedures; including tooth extraction, endodontic treatment, and periodontal surgery. Recently, studies identified Streptococcus mutans, the primary etiological agent of dental caries, as the most prevalent bacterial species found in clinical samples from patients who underwent heart valve and atheromatous plaque surgery. My research focuses on dissecting, at the molecular level, the interactions between S. mutans and Human Coronary Endothelial Cells.

Another field of interest is to understand the stress tolerance mechanisms employed by S. mutans to cope with the constant changes in pH, and nutrient composition and availability in the oral cavity.

Current Appointments

• Research Assistant Professor - Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Center for Oral Biology (SMD)

Education
PhD Environmental Microbiology	Brazil-Federal U, Rio de Janeiro	2000
MS Environmental Microbiology	Brazil-Federal U, Rio de Janeiro	1995
BS Biology	Brazil-Federal U, Rio de Janeiro	1990

Post-Doctoral Training & Residency
Postdoctoral Associate, Department of Oral Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL Research Advisor: Dr. Robert A. Burne	2001 - 2004
Postdoctoral Fellow, Dept. Microbiology and Immunology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY. Research Advisor: Dr. Robert E. Marquis	2000 - 2001

Fellowship Awards
Postgraduate exchange fellowship from CAPES (Brazil). Awarded by the Microbiology Institute of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil, with an international exchanging fellowship to study at Syracuse University under the supervision of Dr. William T. Starmer.	1997 - 1998
Doctoral fellowship from CAPES (Brazil)	1995 - 2000
Master fellowship from CAPES (Brazil)	1993 - 1995
Undergraduate research fellowship from CNPq (Brazil)	1990 - 1993

Lab Description

Physiology & Molecular Biology of Oral Streptococci.

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Recent Journal Articles
Showing the 5 most recent journal articles. (27 available)
Abranches J; Martinez AR; Kajfasz JK; Chávez V; Garsin DA; Lemos JA. "The molecular alarmone (p)ppGpp mediates stress responses, vancomycin tolerance, and virulence in Enterococcus faecalis." Journal of bacteriology. 2009; 191(7):2248-56. Epub 2009 Jan 23.
Kajfasz JK; Martinez AR; Rivera-Ramos I; Abranches J; Koo H; Quivey RG; Lemos JA. "Role of Clp proteins in expression of virulence properties of Streptococcus mutans." Journal of bacteriology. 2009; 191(7):2060-8. Epub 2009 Jan 30.
Abranches J; Zeng L; Bélanger M; Rodrigues PH; Simpson-Haidaris PJ; Akin D; Dunn WA; Progulske-Fox A; Burne RA. "Invasion of human coronary artery endothelial cells by Streptococcus mutans OMZ175." Oral microbiology and immunology. 2009; 24(2):141-5.
Senadheera D; Krastel K; Mair R; Persadmehr A; Abranches J; Burne R; Cvitkovitch DG. "Inactivation of VicK affects acid production and acid survival of Streptococcus mutans." Journal of bacteriology. 2009; Epub 2009 Aug 14.
Nascimento MM; Lemos JA; Abranches J; Lin VK; Burne RA. "Role of RelA of Streptococcus mutans in global control of gene expression." Journal of bacteriology. 2008; 190(1):28-36. Epub 2007 Oct 19.