Microbiology Graduate Program
Email: kaitlin-yarrington@uiowa.edu
Year Entered Into Program: 2018
Research
Polymicrobial infections, like those caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus, are difficult to treat and lead to increased disease progression in humans compared to monospecies infections. The work in our lab aims to characterize the interactions between these two bacterial pathogens with focus on the early interactions that lead to mixed communities, such as those found in the airways of people with cystic fibrosis. My primary focus aims to uncover the pathways that allow P. aeruginosa to sense secreted factors from S. aureus and other bacterial species and respond with directed movements mediated by the type IV pili towards these factors.
Education
BS in Biology, Wheaton College (2014-2018)
Select Publications
Yarrington KD, Shendruk TN, Limoli DH. Twitching cells use a chemoreceptor to detect bacterial competitors. BioRxiv.
Yarrington KD*, Sánchez Peña A*, Limoli DH. Kinetic visualization of single-cell interspecies bacterial interactions. J. Vis. Exp. 162, e61376 (2020). doi:10.3791/61376. *Co-first authors.
Limoli DH, Warren EA, Yarrington KD, Donegan NP, Cheung AL, O’Toole GA. Interspecies interactions induce exploratory motility in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. eLife. 8, e47365 (2019). doi:10.7554/eLife.47365.
Selected Presentations
Pseudomonas aeruginosa senses secreted interspecies signals via a c-di-GMP and cAMP-controlled signaling module. 82nd Annual ASM North Central Branch Meeting. Oral Presentation. October 2022. Grinnell, IA.
A c-di-GMP and cAMP-controlled signaling module directs Pseudomonas aeruginosa sensing and response to interspecies secreted signals. Gordon Research Conference: Sensory Transduction in Microorganisms. Oral Presentation. September 2022. Ventura, CA.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa senses secreted interspecies signals via a c-di-GMP and cAMP-controlled signaling module. Oral Presentation. June 2022. ASM Microbe. Washington, D.C.
Yarrington KD, Wang GZ, Tirrell DA, and DH Limoli. Pil-Chp controls Pseudomonas aeruginosa chemosensory response to secreted interspecies signals. SPP1879 International Symposium: Nucleotide Second Messenger Signaling in Bacteria. Poster Presentation. May 2022. Berlin, Germany.
Yarrington KD, and DH Limoli. Pseudomonas aeruginosa senses secreted interspecies signals via a c-di-GMP and cAMP-controlled signaling module. Pseudomonas Conference. Poster Presentation. April 2022. Atlanta, GA.
Award
CFF Student Traineeship Award (YARRIN21H0). Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. 2022.