While infectious diseases continue to pose a major threat to human health worldwide, our research focuses on the interface of mass spectrometry (MS) and infection biology. In particular, we are interested in a group of Gram-negative bacterial pathogens (e.g., Salmonella, Shigella, Legionella, etc.) that possess specialized protein secretion machines as one of their major virulence determinants. In case of Salmonella, the bacterium utilizes the type III secretion system to deliver virulence factors (effectors) directly into eukaryotic host cells for the benefit of promoting infection. By harnessing the power of the latest MS-based proteomics, we tackle some challenging questions in bacterial pathogenesis that are otherwise difficult to address with traditional approaches. Meanwhile, we are primarily working on two aspects of bacteria-host interactions: 

1. Understand pathogens’ adaptation to the host by quantitative proteomics of intracellular bacteria; 

2. Dissect diverse protein post-translational modifications catalyzed by bacterial effectors. 

These findings will aid in the development of novel strategies for combating bacterial infections.