Plant Biology Graduate Student Nhu Pham joined the Lin lab in 2018 as a Research Professional and in 2021 she joins the lab as a Graduate Student. Her work interests are in the emergence pathogen, Aspergillus fumigatus, and Cryptococcus neoformans. Her work in A. fumigatus mainly focuses on the pathogen’s secondary metabolite, melanin. She hopes to grasp the trafficking pathway of the palmitoylated melanin enzymes. Nhu's current thesis work involves the intercellular communication that triggers biofilm formation in Cryptococcus neoformans. She wants to identify the unknown signal as well as to characterize the signal pathways. There has been a lack of knowledge on the role of biofilm in Basidiomycetes and she would like to uncover the importance of this morphology. In addition, she focuses on vaccine discovery, virulence pathways, and immunological mechanisms in Cryptococcus neoformans. With this work, she intends to achieve a better understanding of these two pathogenic organisms to unravel the mechanisms of these pathogens' behaviors. Research Labs (via personnel): Xiaorong Lin Labs: Lin Lab Selected Publications Selected Publications: Pham T*, Shi R*, Ambati S*, Meagher R, and Lin X (2024) All hands on Dect: Treating Cryptococcosis with DectiSomes. iScience *co-first authors Li Y, Chadwick B, Pham T, Xie X, Lin X, (2024) Aspartyl peptidase May1 induces host inflammatory response by altering cell wall composition in the fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans. mBio Pham T*, Li Y*, Watford W, Lin X (2023) Vaccination with a ZNF2oe strain provides long-lasting protection against cryptococcosis and is effective in immunocompromised hosts. Infection and Immunity, 91(7):e0019823; DOI: 10.1128/iai.00198-23 *co-first authors Chadwick B, Pham T, Xie X, Ristow L, Krysan D, Lin X (2022) The RAM signaling pathway links morphology, thermotolerance, and CO2 tolerance in the global fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans. eLife, 11:e82563; DOI: 10.7554/eLife.82563 Li Y, Pham T, Xie X, Lin X (2022) Identification and Characterization of an Intergenic “Safe Haven” Region in Human Fungal Pathogen Cryptococcus gattii. Journal of Fungi, 8(2), 178; DOI: 10.3390/jof8020178 Lin J, Pham T, Hipsher K, Glueck N, Fan Y, Lin X, (2022) Immunoprotection against Cryptococcosis Offered by Znf2 Depends on Capsule and the Hyphal Morphology. mBio, DOI: 10.1128/mbio.02785-21 Strycker BD, Han Z, Bahari A, Pham T, Lin X, Shaw B, Sokolov AV, O Scully M. (2021) Raman Characterization of Fungal DHN and DOPA Melanin Biosynthesis Pathways. Journal of Fungi, 7(10), 841. DOI: 10.3390/jof7100841 Ambati S, Pham T, Lewis Z, Lin X, and Meagher R. (2021) DC-SIGN targets amphotericin D-loaded liposomes to diverse pathogenic fungi. Fungal Biology and Biotechnology, 8(1), 1-13. DOI: 10.1186/s40694-021-00126-3 Ambati S, Pham T, Lewis Z, Lin X, and Meagher R. (2021) DectiSomes: Glycan Targeting of Liposomal Drugs Improves the Treatment of Disseminated Candidiasis. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, 01467-21. DOI: 10.1128/AAC.01467-21 Ambati S, Ellis E, Pham T, Lewis Z, Lin X, and Meagher R. (2021) Antifungal-Liposomes Directed by Dectin-2 Offer a Promising Therapeutic Option for Pulmonary Aspergillosis. mBio, 12 (1), e00030-21. DOI: 10.1128/mBio.00030-21 Pham T, Xie X, and Lin X. (2020). An intergenic “safe haven” region in Aspergillus fumigatus. Medical Mycology, 58, 1178–1186. DOI: 10.1093/mmy/myaa009. PMID: 32171003
