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portfolio
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publications
Parallel evolution of oxidized sugar metabolism in commensal and pathogenic microbes exemplifies bacterial adaptation to the inflamed gut. (In Review)
Published in , 2024
Inflammation-associated perturbations of the gut microbiome are well characterized, but poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that disparate taxa recapitulate the metabolism of the oxidized sugars glucarate and galactarate, utilizing enzymatically divergent, yet functionally equivalent, gud/gar pathways. The divergent pathway in commensals includes a novel 5-KDG aldolase (GudL) and an uncharacterized ABC transporter (GarABC) that recapitulate the function of their nonhomologous counterparts in pathogens. A systematic bioinformatic search for the gud/gar pathway in gut microbes identified 887 species putatively capable of metabolizing oxidized sugars. Previous studies showed that inflammation-derived nitrate, formed by nitric oxide reacting with superoxide, promotes pathogen growth. Our findings reveal a parallel phenomenon: oxidized sugars, also produced from reactions with nitric oxide, serve as alternative carbon sources for commensal microbes. Previously considered a pathogen virulence factor, oxidized sugar metabolism is also present in specific commensals and may contribute to their increased relative abundance in gastrointestinal inflammation.
Recommended citation: Levy S, Jiang A, Grant M, Arp G, Ndjite GM, Jiang XF, Hall B. “Parallel evolution of oxidized sugar metabolism in commensal and pathogenic microbes exemplifies bacterial adaptation to the inflamed gut.” (In Review)
talks
Characterizing Lineage-Specific and Species-Specific Gene Families in Testate Lobose Amoebae
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teaching
Calculus Tutor and Grader
Tutor, Smith College, Mathematics Department, 2020
I was a tutor and grader for Calculus II and Calculus I (MTH111 and MTH112) at Smith College.
Chemistry Tutor
Tutor, Smith College, Chemistry Department, 2021
I was a tutor for Advanced General Chemistry (CHM118) and Organic Chemistry I and II (CHM222 and CHM223) as an undergraduate student at Smith from 2021-2023. I was also a lab report writing tutor who read lab reports and provided individualized feedback.
Principles of Ecology and Evolution Lab
Teaching Assistant, University of Maryland, Biological Sciences Department, 2023
I was a teaching assistant for Principles of Ecology and Evolution (BSCI161) for the school year 2023-2024, where I lectured and supervised a total of 47 students across 4 sections.