Dr. Hauser earned a B.A. degree in physics at St. John’s University in Minnesota in 1982. He completed his Ph.D. in Microbiology (1990) and his M.D. (1992) at the University of Minnesota. His predoctoral research was on the streptococcal pyogenic exotoxins in the laboratory of Patrick Schlievert, and his postdoctoral work involved investigation of virulence mediated by the Pseudomonas aeruginosa type III secretion system with Joanne Engel at the University of California at San Francisco. Dr. Hauser joined the faculty of Northwestern University Medical School in 1999.

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Research Description

Research Abstract 

P. aeruginosa is a gram-negative opportunistic pathogen that causes a variety of disease manifestations in humans, especially those who are compromised in some way.  For example, P. aeruginosa is the leading cause of hospital-acquired pneumonia and is associated with mortality rates of up to 70%.  Although many putative P. aeruginosa virulence factors have been identified, much remains unclear about the way this bacterium colonizes, invades, and disseminates within its host.

We study the mechanisms by which P. aeruginosa causes disease, with special emphasis on the set of toxins transported by the type III secretion system.  These toxins orchestrate an intimate interaction between the bacterium and the host cell that results in injury or death at the cellular level and the pathophysiological consequences of disease at the level of the host organism.  The interactions between type-III-secreted toxins and the host cell are complex and may lead to host cell necrosis, apoptosis, or modulation of bacterial internalization.  We use molecular, genetic, and biochemical approaches in conjunction with tissue culture and animal models to better define these interactions, their impact on the innate immune response, and their implications for disease severity.

Publications

(Click on the active links below to access the full-text document of published material from PubMed.)

Diaz, M. H., C. M. Shaver, J. D. King, S. Musunuri, J. A. Kazzaz, A. R. Hauser. 2008. Pseudomonas aeruginosa induces localized immunosuppression during pneumonia in mammals. Infect. Immun. 76:4414-4421.

Battle, S. E., F. Meyer, J. Rello, V. L. Kung, A. R. Hauser. 2008. The hybrid pathogenicity island PAGI-5 contributes to the highly virulent phenotype of a Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolate in mammals. J. Bacteriol. 190:7130-7140.

Jain, M., M. Bar-Meir, S. McColley, J. Cullina, E. Potter, C. Powers, M. Prickett, R. Seshadri, B. Jovanovic, A. Petrocheilou, J. D. King, A. R. Hauser. 2008. Evolution of Pseudomonas aeruginosa type III secretion in cystic fibrosis: a paradigm of chronic infection. Translat. Res. 152:257-264.

Battle, S. E., J. Rello, A. R. Hauser. 2009. Genomic islands of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 290:70-78

Feltman, H., G. Schulert, S. Khan, M. Jain, L. Peterson, and A. R. Hauser. 2001. Prevalence of Type III Secretion Genes in Clinical and Environmental Isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Microbiology 147:2651-2658.

Hauser, A. R., E. Cobb, M. Bodi, D. Mariscal, J. Valles, J. N. Engel, and J. Rello. 2002. Type III protein secretion is associated with poor clinical outcomes in patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa.  Crit. Care Med. 30:521-528.

Rabin, S. D. P. and A. R. Hauser. 2003. Pseudomonas aeruginosa ExoU, a toxin transported by the type III secretion system, kills Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Infect. Immun. 71:4144-4150.

Schulert, G. S., H. Feltman, S. D. P. Rabin, C. G. Martin, S. E. Battle, J. Rello, and A. R. Hauser.  2003. Secretion of the toxin ExoU is a marker for highly virulent Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates obtained from patients with hospital-acquired pneumonia.  J. Infect. Dis. 188:1695-1706.

Jain, M., D. Ramirez, R. Seshadri, J. F. Cullina, C. A. Powers, G. S. Schulert, M. Bar-Meir, C. L. Sullivan, S. A. McColley, A. R. Hauser. 2004. Type III secretion phenotypes of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains change during infection of individuals with cystic fibrosis. J. Clin. Microbiol. 42:5229-5237.

Shaver, C. M. and A. R. Hauser. 2004. Relative Contributions of Pseudomonas aeruginosa ExoU, ExoS, and ExoT to Virulence in the Lung. Infect. Immun.72:6969-6977.

Rabin, S. D. P. and A. R. Hauser. 2005. Functional regions of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa cytotoxin ExoU. Infect. Immun. 73:573-582.

Shaver, C. M. and A. R. Hauser. 2006. Interactions between effector proteins of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa type III secretion system do not significantly affect several measures of disease severity in mammals. Microbiology 152:143-152.

Rabin, S. D. P., J. L. Veesenmeyer, K. T. Bieging, and A. R. Hauser. 2006. A C-terminal domain targets the Pseudomonas aeruginosa cytotoxin ExoU to the plasma membrane of host cells. Infect. Immun. 74:2552-2561.

Ottman, C., L. Yasmin, M. Weyand,  J. L. Veesenmeyer, M. H. Diaz, R. H. Palmer, M. S. Francis, A. R. Hauser, A. Wittinghofer, and B. Hallberg. 2007. Phosphorylation-independent interaction between 14-3-3 and Exoenzyme S: from structure to pathogenesis.  EMBO J. 26:902-913.