Allyson E. Shea, PhD
Biography
Dr. Allyson E. Shea joined the Department of Microbiology and Immunology in 2023. She received Baccalaureate Degrees in biological sciences and marine science from the University of South Carolina in Columbia and her Ph.D. in molecular biology from the University of Florida. She conducted her postdoctoral fellowship training at the University of Michigan under the mentorship of Dr. Harry Mobley. Her postdoctoral work was focused on the characterization of pathogen nutrient acquisition and transport systems required during UTI.
Research
Host-pathogen interactions during urinary tract infection
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are among the most common bacterial infections and disproportionately affect women, with recurrent infections representing a major clinical challenge. Disease progression is shaped by dynamic interactions between bacterial physiology and the host urinary tract environment. The Shea Laboratory investigates how host-derived molecules influence bacterial growth and virulence and how infection, in turn, alters host cell physiology.
A major focus of the laboratory is understanding amyloid-beta (Aβ) production during UTI. Although Aβ is best known for its association with neurodegenerative disease, it also possesses antimicrobial and immunomodulatory properties. Our laboratory studies how bladder and kidney epithelial cells produce Aβ in response to bacterial infection and how Aβ influences bacterial aggregation, adhesion, growth, and clearance. We are particularly interested in determining how Aβ contributes to host defense during UTI and whether its accumulation also promotes inflammation and urinary tract tissue damage.
A second major area of research examines how changes in host metabolism create conditions that promote UTI. We study pyridone ribosides (PYRs), host-derived metabolites produced through NAD+ metabolism that accumulate in urine under several physiological and disease states. Our work investigates whether PYRs serve as metabolic signals or nutrients for uropathogens and how exposure to these compounds alters bacterial growth, metabolism, and virulence. By defining how urinary pathogens respond to PYRs, we aim to identify previously unrecognized metabolic interactions that contribute to pathogen fitness within the urinary tract.
Together, these projects examine how host-derived proteins and metabolites reshape the urinary tract environment during infection. Our long-term goal is to define host-pathogen interactions that influence bacterial persistence, disease severity, and infection recurrence, to identify new biomarkers and therapeutic targets for UTI.