Rebecca Lamason

About

Rebecca Lamason is an Associate Professor of Biology at MIT who investigates cellular functions hijacked by bacteria that cause diseases such as spotted fever and meningitis. Her research focuses on how intracellular bacterial pathogens like Rickettsia parkeri and Listeria monocytogenes move through tissues via cell-to-cell spread. She employs cellular, molecular, genetic, biochemical, and biophysical approaches to elucidate mechanisms of bacterial spread, aiming to reveal key aspects of pathogenesis and host cell biology. Her work contributes to understanding how bacteria manipulate host processes during infection.

Research topics

• Biology
• Cell biology
• Microbiology
• Genetics
• Chemistry

Selected publications

• The enigmatic biology of rickettsiae: recent advances, open questions and outlook

  Pathogens and Disease · 2021-03-26 · 48 citations

  reviewOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  Rickettsiae are obligate intracellular bacteria that can cause life-threatening illnesses and are among the oldest known vector-borne pathogens. Members of this genus are extraordinarily diverse and exhibit a broad host range. To establish intracellular infection, Rickettsia species undergo complex, multistep life cycles that are encoded by heavily streamlined genomes. As a result of reductive genome evolution, rickettsiae are exquisitely tailored to their host cell environment but cannot surviv…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• RNAi screen reveals a role for PACSIN2 and caveolins during bacterial cell-to-cell spread

  Molecular Biology of the Cell · 2019-06-26 · 28 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  Listeria monocytogenes is a human bacterial pathogen that disseminates through host tissues using a process called cell-to-cell spread. This critical yet understudied virulence strategy resembles a vesicular form of intercellular trafficking that allows L. monocytogenes to move between host cells without escaping the cell. Interestingly, eukaryotic cells can also directly exchange cellular components via intercellular communication pathways (e.g., trans-endocytosis) using cell–cell adhesion, mem…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Pathogenic <i>Rickettsia</i> spp. as emerging models for bacterial biology

  Journal of Bacteriology · 2024-02-05 · 17 citations

  reviewOpen accessSenior author

  ABSTRACT Our understanding of free-living bacterial models like Escherichia coli far outpaces that of obligate intracellular bacteria, which cannot be cultured axenically. All obligate intracellular bacteria are host-associated, and many cause serious human diseases. Their constant exposure to the distinct biochemical niche of the host has driven the evolution of numerous specialized bacteriological and genetic adaptations, as well as innovative molecular mechanisms of infection. Here, we review…

  PublisherDOI

• The Ankyrin Repeat Protein RARP-1 Is a Periplasmic Factor That Supports <i>Rickettsia parkeri</i> Growth and Host Cell Invasion

  Journal of Bacteriology · 2022-06-21 · 16 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  ankyrin repeat protein RARP-1, which is conserved across the genus but has not yet been functionally characterized. Earlier work had suggested that RARP-1 is secreted into the host cytoplasm. However, the results from this work demonstrate that R. parkeri RARP-1 resides in the periplasm and is important both for invasion of host cells and for growth in the host cell cytoplasm. These results reveal RARP-1 as a novel regulator of the rickettsial life cycle.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Cell-selective proteomics reveal novel effectors secreted by an obligate intracellular bacterial pathogen

  Nature Communications · 2024-07-18 · 15 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Pathogenic bacteria secrete protein effectors to hijack host machinery and remodel their infectious niche. Rickettsia spp. are obligate intracellular bacteria that can cause life-threatening disease, but their absolute dependence on the host cell has impeded discovery of rickettsial effectors and their host targets. We implemented bioorthogonal non-canonical amino acid tagging (BONCAT) during R. parkeri infection to selectively label, isolate, and identify effectors delivered into the host cell.…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• Elucidating how intracellular bacterial pathogens hijack host intercellular communication to promote spread

  NIH · $180k · 2015–2017

• Elucidating how intracellular bacterial pathogens hijack host intercellular communication to promote spread

  NIH · $807k · 2015–2020

• NIH Grant F31AG031689

  NIH · $104k · 2010

Frequent coauthors

• Matthew D. Welch

  23 shared

• Joel L. Pomerantz

  Johns Hopkins University

  16 shared

• Abraham Kupfer

  8 shared

• Stefanie M. Lew

  Johns Hopkins Medicine

  8 shared

• Allen G. Sanderlin

  Massachusetts Institute of Technology

  7 shared

• David O’Donnell

  6 shared

• Paul McKeigue

  6 shared

• Pudur Jagadeeswaran

  6 shared

Labs

• Lamason labPI

Awards & honors

• NIH Pathway to Independence Award (2015)

Similar researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology

• Rudolf Jaenischh-295
• Robert A. Weinbergh-291
• Susumu Tonegawah-237