Eryk J Yarkosky

In the Chandler lab, we study a cell-cell signaling mechanism called quorum sensing. Bacteria use quorum sensing to regulate a ton of behaviors that are important for infecting people, animals, and plants. Because of this, it's important that we understand exactly when (and how) quorum sensing gets activated. My research focuses on an insect pathogen, Chromobacterium subtsugae, that uses quorum sensing to change its behavior in response to signals from other bacteria. I am especially interested in the mechanism that Chromobacterium uses to respond differently to competitors versus kin, and how the ability to differentiate between the two helps it survive.