Kevin

Hybiske

PhD

related links

bio

Dr. Hybiske studies the pathogenesis of human chlamydial infections. The bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis is the leading cause of bacterial sexually transmitted infection (STI) throughout the world. Chlamydia infection rates are high and continue to rise. Prior to COVID, Chlamydia infections were the most commonly reported infection in the US. Chlamydia disproportionately affects young women and people from disadvantaged backgrounds for the development of severe reproductive outcomes. While effective treatments exist, there is no preventative vaccine, and much remains to be learned about how this pathogen causes disease in humans.

The goals of our research are to define the critical bacterial and host factors responsible for Chlamydia infections and chronic clinical outcomes. We approach this by investigating the elusive mechanisms of Chlamydia pathogenesis, such as how the bacterium manipulates many aspects of host cell function. 

research interests:

The Hybiske Lab investigates the molecular mechanisms of Chlamydia pathogenesis, including sexually transmitted infections. Our ultimate goals are to identify new therapeutic targets against this major pathogen, and to contribute to our broader understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms of intracellular bacteria. Current research projects include:

• Using functional genomics to discovery Chlamydia virulence factors
• Development of genetic tools for the study of Chlamydia pathogenesis
• Host-pathogen interactions
• Human chlamydial infections
• Structure-function analysis of Chlamydia proteins
• ChlamBase: a curated model organism database for the Chlamydia research community

Education & Training

BS, University of California, Berkeley (1996)

PhD, University of California, Berkeley (2003)

Postdoctoral Fellow, University of California, San Francisco and Berkeley (2003-2008)

Honors:

publications:

Suchland RJ, Carrell SJ, Ramsey SA, Hybiske K, Debrine AM, Sanchez J, Celum C, Rockey DD. Genomic analysis of MSM rectal Chlamydia trachomatis isolates identifies predicted tissue-tropic lineages generated by intraspecies lateral gene transfer-mediated evolution. Infect Immun. 2022 Oct 10:e0026522. PMID: 36214558.    PubMed Abstract

Dimond ZE, Suchland RJ, Baid S, LaBrie SD, Soules KR, Stanley J, Carrell S, Kwong F, Wang Y, Rockey DD, Hybiske K, Hefty PS. Inter-species lateral gene transfer focused on the Chlamydia plasticity zone identifies loci associated with immediate cytotoxicity and inclusion stability. Mol Microbiol. 2021 Dec;116(6):1433–1448. PMCID: PMC9119408.                                                                          PubMed Abstract

Wang Y, LaBrie SD, Carrell SJ, Suchland RJ, Dimond ZE, Kwong F, Rockey DD, Hefty PS, Hybiske K. Development of Transposon Mutagenesis for Chlamydia muridarum. J Bacteriol. 2019 Dec 1;201(23):JB.00366–19. PMCID: PMC6832062.                                   PubMed Abstract

Suchland RJ, Carrell SJ, Wang Y, Hybiske K, Kim DB, Dimond ZE, Hefty PS, Rockey DD. Chromosomal Recombination Targets in Chlamydia Interspecies Lateral Gene Transfer. J Bacteriol. 2019 Dec 1;201(23):JB.00365–19. PMCID: PMC6832074.                                  PubMed Abstract

Dickinson MS, Anderson LN, Webb-Robertson BJM, Hansen JR, Smith RD, Wright AT, Hybiske K. Proximity-dependent proteomics of the Chlamydia trachomatis inclusion membrane reveals functional interactions with endoplasmic reticulum exit sites. PLoS Pathog. 2019 Apr;15(4):e1007698. PMCID: PMC6464245.                                      PubMed Abstract