Elizabeth Johnson

Sphingolipids are potent bioactive signaling molecules that are produced by both mammals and some of the the beneficial microbes that colonize the mammalian gut.  Beneficial microbes are known to have an effect on host health but the mechanisms defining these processes are not well understood.  We are dedicated to understanding how sphingolipids contribute to host phenotypes that are defined by microbiome composition.

 
Research in the Johnson Lab is focused on understanding how bioactive lipids contribute to diet-microbiome and microbiome-host interactions.  We use techniques in molecular biology, mass spectrometry, microbial genetics, and genomics to understand the consequences of lipid transfer between host and the microbiome.  Specifically we are interested in how lipid-dependent host-microbe interactions define the initial colonization and development of the infant gut microbiome with the goal of supporting microbiome-conscious early-life nutrition.  

• NS 4010: Empirical Research