BABS - Staff Profile of Diane McDougald

	Dr Diane McDougald

	Senior Research Associate
	Room No:	621
	Office:	6th floor, Biological Sciences Bldg
	Phone:	9385 2090
	Fax:	9358 2554
	Email:	d.mcdougald@unsw.edu.au

Research Description:

I am investigating the role of bacterial communication systems in the regulation of virulence factor expression, as well as in responses to environmental stresses, in pathogenic Vibrio species. As part of the team’s natural product research scheme, we are testing novel antagonists of these communication systems for their potential use as antimicrobials. In addition, I am investigating mechanisms of adaptation to environmental stresses by marine Vibrios which involves knowledge of stress adaptation responses (e.g. oxidative, temperature, starvation, etc.) in several bacteria and of the mechanisms of molecular control of these responses. This has included the study of the inter-relationship of bacterial communication systems and biofilm formation.

Selected Publications:

McDougald, D., S. A. Rice, and S. Kjelleberg. 2000. The marine pathogen Vibrio vulnificus encodes a putative homologue of the Vibrio harveyi regulatory gene, luxR: a genetic and phylogenetic comparison. Gene 248:213-221.

Rice, S. A., D. McDougald, and S. Kjelleberg. 2000. Vibrio vulnificus: a physiological and genetic approach to the viable but nonculturable response. J. Infect. Chemother. 6:115-120.

McDougald, D., S. A. Rice, and S. Kjelleberg. 2001. SmcR-dependent regulation of adaptive responses in Vibrio vulnificus. J. Bacteriol. 183:758-762.

McDougald, D., L. Gong, S. Srinivasan, E. Hild, L. Thompson, K. Takayama, S. A. Rice, and S. Kjelleberg. 2002. Defences against oxidative stress during starvation in bacteria. Ant. van Leeuw. 81:3-13.

McDougald, D., S. Srinivasan, S. A. Rice, and S. Kjelleberg. 2003. Signal-mediated cross-talk regulates stress adaptation in Vibrio species. Microbiology 149:1923-1933.

Matz, C., D. McDougald, A. M. Moreno, P. Y. Yung, F. H. Yildiz, and S. Kjelleberg. 2005. Biofilm formation and phenotypic variation enhance predation-driven persistence of Vibrio cholerae. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., USA 102:16819-16824.

McDougald, D., and S. Kjelleberg. 2005. Adaptive Responses of Vibrios, p. 135-157. In F. L. Thompson, B. Austin, and J. Swings (ed.), The Biology of Vibrios, vol. In Press. American Society for Microbiology, Washington DC.

Rice, S. A., D. McDougald, N. Kumar, and S. Kjelleberg. 2005. The use of quorum sensing blockers as therapeutic agents for the control of biofilm associated infections. Curr. Opin. Invest. Drugs 6:178-184.

Webb, J. S., M. Taylor, S. A. Rice, T. Thomas, D. Rao, D. McDougald, and S. Kjelleberg. 2005. Biofilms on living surfaces. In K. April (ed.), Manual of Environmental Microbiology, Third Edition ed, vol. In Press. American Society for Microbiology, Washington DC.

Other Professional Activities

Merrill Lynch Innovation Grant Competition 2000, Second Place winner

Xcelerator National BioPitch Business Plan Competition in 2001, Second Place winner Australian Academy of Science Travel Grant, 2002

Invited speaker, Australian Society for Microbiology, 1997; Antimicrobial Drug Resistance: Meeting the Challenge, 2001 Wollongong, Australia; Commercialisation of Research Workshop, 2002 Sydney Australia; Australian Society for Microbiology Annual Conference, 2006, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia

Invited speaker and session chair, Vibrio Conference, 2005, Gent, Belgium

Member of the Scientific Committee of the Association of Vibrio Biologists, 2005

Patent: Kjelleberg, S. S. A. Rice and D. McDougald. Inhibition of AI-2 regulatory system using furanones. Provisional PR2090, File No 01/1572.

Dr Diane McDougald

Research Description:

Selected Publications: