Biography
Luis Alberto Vega, PhD is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics (MMG) at McGovern Medical School, UTHealth Science Center at Houston. In 2012 he earned his PhD in Molecular Microbiology and Microbial Pathogenesis from Washington University in St. Louis under the tutelage of Dr. Michael Caparon and completed postdoctoral training at the University of Maryland and UTHealth Houston under Dr. Kevin McIver and Dr. Anthony Flores, respectively. Dr. Vega’s research career has focused on the genetic and molecular mechanisms that underpin virulence, antimicrobial resistance, and host-pathogen interactions in Gram positive bacteria, particularly in Streptococci and Enterococci. A former MicroSURP student in the lab of Dr. Danielle Garsin, he joined MMG in 2024, bringing his expertise in bacterial pathogenesis and animal models of infection. He enjoys mentoring undergraduate, graduate, and medical students, and contributes to graduate medical education through teaching biomedical ethics. Dr. Vega aims for his work to continue advancing our understanding of the molecular basis of infectious disease in support of developing strategies to combat antimicrobial resistance.
Areas of Interest
Research Interests
The continuing rise of antimicrobial resistance among bacterial and fungal pathogens poses a critical threat to human health. If unchecked, antimicrobial resistance could make treatable infections the leading cause of hospitalizations and death within the next 25 years. My work aims to address this crisis by investigating mechanisms of infection and disease to develop the next generation of antimicrobials. Specifically:
- Defining the virulence and antimicrobial peptide resistance mechanisms of Streptococcus pyogenes. My previous research work on streptococci identified the role of hyaluronic acid capsule in bacterial pathogenicity and transmission, defined the contribution of an antimicrobial resistance-encoding mobile DNA element to altering gene expression in emergent highly virulent streptococcal isolates, and characterized the regulatory program influencing streptococcal virulence in response to the activity of an antimicrobial peptide.
- Studying microbial interactions as a source of novel therapeutic compounds. Characterization of the interaction of an enteric bacterium (Enterococcus faecalis) and the commensal fungus Candida albicans identified EntV, a peptide that inhibits Candida I am testing the therapeutic potential of this and other microbial peptides in various infection models to identify the next generation of antimicrobials.
- Characterizing the mechanism of ethanolamine utilization in Listeria monocytogenes. Increasingly responsible for food contamination, Listeria outbreaks result in vast economic losses and hospitalizations for life-threatening food borne illness. Listeriaexploit ethanolamine as a nitrogen and carbon source during infection. Understanding this metabolic pathway will identify targets for novel therapeutics against Listeria and other ethanolamine-utilizing bacterial pathogens.
Publications
Vega LA, Caparon MG. Cationic antimicrobial peptides disrupt the Streptococcus pyogenes ExPortal. Mol Microbiol. 2012 Sep;85(6):1119-32. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.2012.08163.x. Epub 2012 Jul 26. PubMed PMID: 22780862; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3646575.
Vega LA, Port GC, Caparon MG. An association between peptidoglycan synthesis and organization of the Streptococcus pyogenes ExPortal. mBio. 2013 Sep 24;4(5):e00485-13. doi: 10.1128/mBio.00485-13. PubMed PMID: 24065630; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3781834.
Vega LA, Valdes KM, Sundar GS, Belew AT, Islam E, Berge J, Curry P, Chen S, El-Sayed NM, Le Breton Y, McIver KS. The Transcriptional Regulator CpsY Is Important for Innate Immune Evasion in Streptococcus pyogenes. Infect Immun. 2017 Mar;85(3). doi: 10.1128/IAI.00925-16. Print 2017 Mar. PubMed PMID: 27993974; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5328483.
Vega LA, Sanson MA, Shah BJ, Flores AR. Strain-Dependent Effect of Capsule on Transmission and Persistence in an Infant Mouse Model of Group A Streptococcus Infection. Infect Immun. 2020 Mar 23;88(4). doi: 10.1128/IAI.00709-19. Print 2020 Mar 23. PubMed PMID: 32014891; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7093130.
Vega, L.A., Sanson, M.A., Cubria, M.B., Regmi, S., Shah, B.J., Shelburne, S.A., Flores, A.R: The integrative conjugative element ICESpyM92 contributes to pathogenicity of emergent antimicrobial-resistant emm92Group A Streptococcus. Infection and Immunity. 2022 Aug 18:90(8):e0008022. doi: 10.1128/iai.00080-22. Epub 2022 Aug 1. PMID: 35913172
Vega, L.A., Malke, H., McIver, K.S.: Virulence-Related Transcriptional Regulators of Streptococcus pyogenes. 2022 Jul 24 [updated 2022 Oct 7]. Chapter In: Ferretti JJ, Stevens DL, Fischetti VA, editors. Streptococcus pyogenes: Basic Biology to Clinical Manifestations [Internet]. Oklahoma City (OK): University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center; 2022 Oct 8. Chapter 12. PubMed PMID: 36479761
Vega LA, Sanson-Iglesias M, Mukherjee P, Buchan KD, Morrison G, Hohlt AE, Flores AR. LiaR-dependent gene expression contributes to antimicrobial responses in group A Streptococcus. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2024 Dec 5;68(12):e0049624. doi: 10.1128/aac.00496-24. Epub 2024 Nov 13. PubMed PMID: 39535201; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC1161952