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Faculty Detail    
Name KEVIN F DYBVIG
Director, Department of Genetics Research Division and Vice Chair		  
Campus Address CHT CPP Zip 0011
Phone  (205) 638-9072
E-mail  dybvig@uab.edu
Other websites
     


Faculty Appointment(s)
Appointment Type Department Division Rank
Primary    Genetics Chair Office
Secondary    Microbiology
Primary  Ped - Pulmonary  Ped - Allergy Professor Research

Graduate Biomedical Sciences Affiliations
Chair of Division 
Genetics, Genomics and Bioinformatics 
Immunology 
Medical Scientist Training Program 
Microbiology 

Biographical Sketch 
Kevin F. Dybvig (b. 1954), Professor of Genetics and Associate Professor of Microbiology, completed his undergraduate studies in physics at Kenyon College (B.A., 1976) and graduate studies in biophysics at the University of Rochester (M.S., 1978; Ph.D., 1981), studying the basic biology and genetics of mycoplasmas. He attended Washington University (1981-1983) for postdoctoral studies concerning the regulation of avian heat shock proteins and joined UAB in 1984 for additional postdoctoral studies in the area of mycoplasmal pathogenic mechanisms. He joined the UAB faculty in 1987.

Society Memberships
Organization Name Position Held Org Link
International Organization for Mycoplasmology  Past Chair  http://iom-online.org/node/10 
 



Research/Clinical Interest
Title
Pathogenic mechanisms of mycoplasmas
Description
Dr. Dybvig’s research is focused on the basic biology and pathogenic mechanisms of mycoplasmas. The mycoplamas are a group of bacteria that cause a variety of chronic diseases including pneumonia and arthritis in humans and animals. The experimental infection of murine animals with mycoplasmas serves as models for understanding host-pathogen interactions in humans. A major effort is directed towards understanding the development of pneumonia caused by infection with the respiratory and genital pathogen Mycoplasma pulmonis. A second major effort is directed toward understanding the development of arthritis caused by infection of Mycoplasma arthritidis. Mycoplasmal factors associated with disease severity, host factors associated with protection, and host factors associated with high risk are under study. Current efforts are focused intensely on polysaccharides with roles in protection from host immunity and in biofilm formation and on protein glycosylation in mycoplasmas.

Selected Publications 
Publication PUBMEDID
Daubenspeck, J. M., Jordan, D. S., Simmons, W., Renfrow, M. B., and Dybvig, K. General N- and O-linked glycosylation of lipoproteins in mycoplasmas and role of exogenous oligosaccharide. PLoS One 10(11):e0143362, 2015.  26599081 
Simmons, W., and Dybvig, K. Catalase enhances growth and biofilm production of Mycoplasma pneumoniae. Curr. Microbiol. 71:190-194, 2015.  25894997 
Xiao, L., Ptacek, T., Osborne, J. D., Crabb, D. M., Simmons, W. L., Lefkowitz, E. J., Waites, K. B., Atkinson, P. T., and Dybvig, K. Comparative genome analysis of Mycoplasma pneumoniae. BMC Genomics. 16(1):610, 2015.  26275904 
Booth, J. L., Umstead, T. M., Hu, S., Dybvig, K. F., Cooper, T. K., Wilson, R. P. Chroneos, Z. C. Housing conditions modulate the severity of Mycoplasma pulmonis infection in mice deficient in class A scavenger receptor. Comp. Med. 64:424-439, 2014.  25527023 
Jordan, D. S., Daubenspeck, J. M., Laube, A. H., Renfrow, M. B., and Dybvig, K. O-linked protein glycosylation in mycoplasma. Mol. Microbiol. 90:1046-1053, 2013  24118505  
Park, H. J., Kang, K. M., Dybvig, K., Lee, B. L., Jung, Y. W., Lee, I. H. Interaction of cationic antimicrobial peptides with Mycoplasma pulmonis. FEBS Lett. 587:3321-3326, 2013  23994526 
Shaw, B. M., Daubenspeck, J. M., Simmons, W. L., and Dybvig, K. EPS-I polysaccharide protects Mycoplasma pulmonis from phagocytosis. FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 338:155-160, 2013.   23190331 
Simmons, W. L., Daubenspeck, J. M., Osborne, J. D., Balish, M. F., Waites, K. B., and Dybvig, K. Type 1 and type 2 strains of Mycoplasma pneumoniae form different biofilms. Microbiology 159: 737-747, 2013.  23412845 
Jordan, D. S., Daubenspeck, J. M., and Dybvig, K.. Rhamnose biosynthesis in mycoplasmas requires precursor glycans larger than monosaccharide. Mol. Microbiol. 89:918-928, 2013.  23826905 
Shaw, B. M., Simmons, W. L., and Dybvig, K. The Vsa shield of Mycoplasma pulmonis is antiphagocytic. Infect. Immun. 80:704-709, 2012.  22083715 
Bolland, J. R. and Dybvig, K. Mycoplasma pulmonis Vsa proteins and polysaccharide modulate adherence to pulmonary epithelial cells. FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 331:25-30, 2012.  22428866 
Bolland, J. R., Simmons, W. L., Daubenspeck, J. M., and Dybvig, K. Mycoplasma polysaccharide protects against complement. Microbiology 158:1867-1873, 2012.  22504437 
Dybvig, K., Lao, P., Jordan, D. S., and Simmons, W. L. Fewer essential genes in mycoplasmas than previous studies suggest. FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 311:51-55, 2010.  2974803 
Daubenspeck, J. M., Bolland, J. R., Luo, W., Simmons, W. L., and Dybvig, K. Identification of exopolysaccharide-deficient mutants of Mycoplasma pulmonis. Mol. Microbiol. 72:1235-1245, 2009.  2752295 
Simmons, W. L. and Dybvig, K. Mycoplasma biofilms ex vivo and in vivo. FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 295:77-81, 2009.  2703428