Skip to main content

UW Microbiology

UW Microbiology Home

  • listeria infecting cells

    Cell Biology of Bacterial Infection

    Listeria monocytogenes (green) interacting with macrophages (red/blue). 

    Credit: Michelle Reniere

  • Bacterial Self-Organization

    Bacterial Self-Organization

    Pseudomonas aeruginosa cells that engage (magenta) or don’t (green) in collective behavior spontaneously self organize in cellular aggregates (3D image acquired by confocal laser scanning microscopy).

    Credit: Jeffrey Carey and Matt Parsek

  • phage antagonize CRISPR

    Phage antagonize CRISPR-Cas Immunity

    Cryo-EM structure of a phage-encoded anti-CRISPR protein (blue) in complex with the RNA-targeting CRISPR effector Cas13 (gray) and its guide RNA (red).

    Credit: Alex Meeske

  • uropathogenic

    Emergence of Highly Pathogenic Clones of Escherichia coli

    Genetic typing of uropathogeic E. coli reveals strong association of some clones with high sensitivity or extreme resistance to multiple antibiotics.

    Courtesy: Sokurenko Lab

  • greenberg

    Quorum sensing in Vibrio fischeri

    Lux genes coding for light production are activated by quorum sensing at high cell density. The light produced by the bacteria exposed the film for the image.

    Courtesy: Greenberg Lab

  • Pseudomonas aeruginosa in co-culture

    Pseudomonas aeruginosa in co-culture

    Structural component of bacterial targeting type VI secretion system P. aeruginosa (green) assembled in presence of competitor organism (red).

    Courtesy of: Mougous Lab

  • envelope

    HIV-1 Envelope Evolution

    Reconstructed phylogenetic network of HIV-1 envelope sequences (C2-V5) from subtype B.

    Courtesy of: Mullins Lab

  • biofilm

    Pseudomonas aeruginosa

    Colonies of Pseudomonas aeruginosa expressing different amounts of exopolysaccharides.

    Courtesy of: Harwood Lab

  • yopm

    YopM Crystal Structure

    Crystal structure of the Yersinia virulence protein YopM

    Courtesy of: Cookson Lab

  • Inflammatory Death of Mouse Macrophages

    Inflammatory Death of Mouse Macrophages

    Mouse macrophages undergoing pyroptosis.

    Courtesy of: Cookson Lab

News & Updates

Joseph Mougous

On 6/13/23, UW Medicine launched the Microbial Interactions & Microbiome Center to catalyze research in the Pacific Northwest focused on microbial communities. The new center, led by Dr. Joseph Mougous, the Lynn M. and Michael D. Garvey Endowed Chair in Gastroenterology, Professor of Microbiology and Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at UW, will bring together scientists from diverse disciplines to study how microbes interact with each other and with their hosts, as well as the functional importance of microbiomes in the environment and in human health and disease.”

See the UW Newsroom Article.

UW Medicine launches a new center to study microbiomes

Today UW Medicine launched the Microbial Interactions &

Pete Greenberg

Dr. E. Pete Greenberg is being recognized with one of the most prestigious and inspirational international scientific awards, the 2023 Princess of Asturias Award for Technical and Scientific Research. The award is bestowed jointly with two other scientists, Bonnie Bassler and Jeffrey Gordon. Their Majesties King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain, accompanied by HRH Princess of Asturias Leonor, will preside over the ceremony of the Princess of Asturias Awards which will take place on Friday 20th October in the Spanish town of Oviedo.

Patrick S. Mitchell

Hearty congratulations to Patrick Mitchell, who was selected from ~6000 applicants to be one of ~30 inaugural HHMI Freeman Hrabowski Scholars!  The HHMI press release can be found here as well as additional information about the Freeman Hrabowski Scholars Program here.

Pete Greenberg, PhD

E. Peter Greenberg, the inaugural Eugene and Martha Nester Professor of Microbiology at the University of Washington, joins Bonnie L. Bassler, Squibb Professor and chair of Molecular Biology at Princeton University, and Michael R. Silverman, emeritus investigator at The Agouron Institute and emeritus adjunct professor, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, in receiving the 2023 Canada Gairdner International Award.  Each year, the Gairdner Foundation honors individuals who have made truly outstanding contributions in biomedicine or global health. The Gairdner Foundation press release can be found here.

Upcoming Events

Seminar
Dr. Nels Elde
Orin Smith Auditorium
Speaker:
Dr. Nels Elde
Seminar
Dr. Andy Goodman
Brotman Auditorium
Speaker:
Dr. Andy Goodman

Fast Facts

More than 175 undergraduate majors and 40 graduate students
Five National Academy of Sciences Members
Twelve American Academy of Microbiology Fellows
More than 120 peer-reviewed publications in 2022