Steven D. Goodman

Ph.D.

Associate Professor

School of Dentistry

Dr. Goodman is pursuing DNA architecture in a micro-organism model systems where proteins significantly change the structure of DNA. IHF is a small abundant bacterial protein that binds to and bends a specific DNA sequence. It has been proposed that IHF modulates (activates or represses) the systems where it acts through DNA bending. Streptococcus mutans causes dental caries (vavities). It requires the production of glucosyltransferases (gtf) to produce exopolysaccharide (glucan) for colonization. In this case IHF appears to repress the expression of the gtf genes by an unknown mechanism. Dr. Goodman is the effect S. mutans IHF has on gtf expression and on s. mutans IHF itself (the first IHF from a gram positive organism).

 

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