Lori Burrows

, PhD

Associate Professor
Pathology and Molecular Medicine

Division: Molecular Medicine

Professor, Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences

McMaster University
4H18 Health Sciences Centre
905-521-2100 ext. 22029

Email: burrowl@mcmaster.ca

Laboratory website: Burrows Lab

Education and Professional Standing

Ph.D., Bacterial Genetics, University of Guelph, 1993

Hon.B.Sc., Microbiology, University of Guelph, 1988

Interests

Research Focus

Using genetics, microbiology, biochemistry, microscopy, chemical and structural biology, we study the assembly and function of bacterial nanomachines involved in motility and secretion of toxins. These systems span the complex cell envelope of the bacteria and are important for bacterial pathogenesis. Our model organism is Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which is particularly problematic for immunocompromised patients and persons with the genetic disease cystic fibrosis. The motility and secretion systems of P. aeruginosa that we study are required for virulence of this opportunistic antibiotic-resistant pathogen and therefore potential targets for new drugs.

Academic Interests

Dr. Burrows is currently involved in the Bachelor of Health Science Program, acting as a facilitator for the course HTH SCI 2E03, Inquiry II.

Team Members

Lab manager: Hanjeong Harvey

Technical staff: Frankie Aidoo

Graduate students: Melissa Ayers, Carmen Giltner, Eder Portillo, Ylan Nguyen, Hosam Khalil, Iwona Wenderska, Navpreet Rana, Anthony Shimkoff

Postdoctoral fellows: Dr. Hania Wehbi, Dr. Edie Scheurwater

Undergraduate students: Andrea Matos, Vivian Cheung, Sarah Farr, Grace Chang, Mike Lunardo

Co-op Students: Santina Colalillo, Anne Hussain

Back Row: Hania Wehbi, Santina Colalillo, Carmen Giltner, Dr. Burrows, Andrea Matos, Edie Scheurwater, Eder Portillo. Middle Row: Hosam Khalil, Hanjeong Harvey, Frankie Aidoo, Melissa Ayers, Vivian Cheung, Mike Lunardo. Front Row: Anne Hussain, Ylan Nguyen, Iwona Wenderska, Grace Chang. Missing: Navpreet Rana, Anthony Shimkoff, Sarah Farr

Selected Publications

• Burrows, L.L. (2005). Weapons of mass retraction. Mol. Microbiol. 57: 878-888.
• Kus, J.V., Kelly, J., Tessier, L., Harvey, H., Cvitkovitch, D.G., Burrows, L.L. (2008). Modification of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Pa5196 type IV Pilins at multiple sites with D-Araf by a novel GT-C family Arabinosyltransferase, TfpW. J Bacteriol, 190(22):7464-78.
• Asikyan, M.L., Kus, J.V., Burrows, L.L. (2008). Novel proteins that modulate type IV pilus retraction dynamics in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. J Bacteriol, 190(21):7022-34.
• Koo J., Tammam S., Ku S.Y., Sampaleanu L.M., Burrows L.L., Howell P.L. (2008). PilF is an outer membrane lipoprotein required for multimerization and localization of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa Type IV pilus secretin. J Bacteriol, 190(21):6961-9.
• Papia G., Burrows L.L., Sinnadurai S., Marshall J.C., Tawadros P.S., Kapus A., Rotstein O.D. (2008). Hypertonic saline resuscitation from hemorrhagic shock does not impair the neutrophil response to intraabdominal infection. Surgery, 144(5):814-21.
• Glukhov E., Burrows L.L., Deber C.M. (2008). Membrane interactions of designed cationic antimicrobial peptides: the two thresholds. Biopolymers, (5):360-71.
• Chiang, P., Sampaleanu, L.M., Ayers, M., Pahuta, M., Howell, P.L., Burrows, L.L. (2008). Functional role of conserved residues in the characteristic secretion NTPase motifs of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa type IV pilus motor proteins PilB, PilT and PilU. Microbiology. 154(Pt 1):114-26.
• Kuo, H.H., Chan, C., Burrows, L.L, Deber, C.M. (2007). Hydrophobic interactions in complexes of antimicrobial peptides with bacterial polysaccharides. Chem Biol Drug Des, 69(6):405-12.
• Keiski, C.L., Yip, P., Robinson H., Burrows L.L., Howell P.L. (2007). Expression, purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of Pseudomonas fluorescens AlgK. Acta Crystallogr Sect F Struct Biol Cryst Commun. 1; 63(Pt 5):415-8.