Marc Chevrette
Plant Pathology Department
Microbial secondary metabolism and interactions
Russell Laboratories
1630 Linden Drive
Madison, WI 53706
LAB WEBSITE:
FOCUS GROUPS:
Molecular & Genome Biology of Microbes; Systems Biology
RESEARCH DESCRIPTION:
Our lab studies the molecular and ecological roles of bacterial secondary metabolites—specialized small molecules that mediate microbial interactions and serve as sources of therapeutics like antibiotics and anticancer agents. We investigate how biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) are regulated, evolve, and function within microbial genomes and communities. Using a combination of comparative genomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics, and synthetic biology, we explore how bacteria coordinate chemical communication and competition in diverse environments, including host-associated microbiomes. Our long-term goal is to build predictive models of microbial interactions and harness microbial chemistry for biomedical and ecological applications.