- Board Certified:
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Pediatric Infectious Diseases
- Medical/Professional School:
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Stanford University, Stanford
- Residency:
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University of Washington, Seattle, Pediatrics
- Description of Research:
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Pathogenesis of Group B Streptococcal disease (GBS, Streptococcus agalactiae).
GBS are the leading cause of meningitis and sepsis in neonates in the United States and Western Europe. Dr. Tamura's laboratory studies the molecular pathogenesis of group B Streptococcal (GBS) infections. We are particularly interested in the bacterial adhesins and their cognate epithelial cell receptors that are involved in mucosal colonization.
We have successfully identified fibronectin and cytokeratin 8 as potential epithelial cell receptors. We have also identified two fibronectin adhesins, one definnitively (ScpB, the Streptococcal C5a peptidase) and one tentatively (GlnP, the glutamine permease).
Both of these proteins have other functions by which they were originally defined. We are in the process of defining the role of the different activities of these genes in bacterial adherence both in vitro and in vivo.
GBS have the unusual property of being able to bind specifically to immobilized fibronectin (iFn) and not to soluble fibronectin (sFn). The adhesin ScpB shares this property.
We are also in the process of defining the structural basis for this specificity using a variety of cutting edge biophysical techniques, including surface plasmon resonance and atomic force microscopy.
- Key Publications:
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Beckmann C, Waggoner JD, Harris TO, Tamura GS, Rubens CE. Identification of novel adhesins from Group B streptococci by use of phage display reveals that C5a peptidase mediates fibronectin binding. Infection and Immunity. 2002 June;70(6):2869-76.
Tamura GS, Nittayajarn A, Schoentag DL. A glutamine transport gene, glnQ, is required for fibronectin adherence and virulence of group B streptococci. Infection and Immunity. 2002 June;70(6):2877-85.
Pritzlaff CA, Chang JC, Kuo SP, Tamura GS, Rubens CE, Nizet V. Genetic basis for the beta-haemolytic/cytolytic activity of group B Streptococcus. Molecular Microbiology. 2001 January;39(2):236-47.
Tamura GS; Herndon M; Przekwas J; Rubens CE; Ferrieri P; Hillier SL. Analysis of restriction fragment length polymorphisms of the insertion sequence IS1381 in group B Streptococci. Journal of Infectious Diseases. 2000. 181(1):364-8.
Tamura GS, Nittayajarn A. Group B streptococci and other gram-positive cocci bind to cytokeratin 8. Infection and Immunity. 2000 April;68(4):2129-34.
- Honors & Awards:
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Seattle Metropolitan Magazine Top Doctor, 2006