Kenan C. Murphy

Gene conversion is a key driver of diversity hotspots in M. tuberculosis antigens and virulence-associated loci

Complete genomes from 151 clinical M. tuberculosis isolates show gene conversion between paralogs creating diversity hotspots in PE/PPE/ESX genes and T cell antigens, including PPE18.

Chemical genetic interactions elucidate pathways controlling tuberculosis antibiotic efficacy during infection

This study identifies in vivo chemical-genetic interactions in tuberculosis that reveal novel drug targets and mechanisms, showing differences from in vitro results and highlighting metabolic dependencies affecting drug efficacy.

Mycobacterium smegmatis NucS-promoted DNA Mismatch Repair involves limited resection by a 5'-3' exonuclease and is independent of homologous recombination and NHEJ

This study shows that NucS in Mycobacterium smegmatis promotes DNA mismatch repair through limited 5'-3' exonuclease activity, independent of homologous recombination and non-homologous end-joining.

Host-pathogen genetic interactions underlie tuberculosis susceptibility

This study identifies host-pathogen genetic interactions influencing tuberculosis susceptibility using a genetically diverse mouse panel and Mtb mutants.

ORBIT: a new paradigm for geneticengineering of mycobacterial chromosomes

ORBIT enables high-throughput chromosomal engineering in mycobacteria without requiring custom double-stranded DNA substrates by combining recombination systems and reusable payload plasmids.