Kathleen Ryan

Research Bio

Kathleen Ryan is an Associate Teaching Professor in the Department of Plant & Microbial Biology. The Ryan lab studies mechanisms such as phosphorylation, localization, and proteolysis that regulate protein activity in bacteria. Our model system is the Gram-negative freshwater bacterium Caulobacter crescentus, in which post-translational regulation plays an important role in cell cycle transitions, stress responses, intrinsic antibiotic resistance, and the differentiation of one cell type into another. We are currently focused on cell envelope biosynthesis and stress responses that protect its integrity, including mechanisms which allow Caulobacter to survive without the essential outer membrane molecule lipid A.

Research Expertise and Interest

bacterial envelope properties, envelope biogenesis, signal transduction pathways, stress responses, protein phosphorylation, proteolysis, protein localization

Teaching

Courses taught during the three most recent semesters
2026 Spring 2025 Fall 2025 Spring