Professor of Microbiology Phone: 205-934-3470 E-mail: suemich@uab.edu

Dr. Michalek received her Bachelor’s degree in biology from Illinois State University in 1967.  She went on to earn her Master’s, also in biology at Illinois State University, in 1968.  She then came to the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where she received her Ph.D. in Microbiology in 1976.  After a postdoctoral fellowship in the Laboratory of Microbiology and Immunology, NIDR, at the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Michalek joined the UAB faculty in 1979 and is currently Professor in the Department of Microbiology (School of Medicine) and the Department of Oral Biology (School of Dentistry), Director of the Research Center in Oral Biology, and a Senior Scientist in many UAB Centers.  Dr. Michalek’s research focuses on the induction and regulation of IgA responses, the development of oral vaccines for mucosal pathogens, T cell regulatory networks in the mucosal immune system and  mucosal inflammation, and the role of co-stimulatory pathways, Toll-like receptors and cell signaling pathways in mucosal pathogen-host interactions.

Selected Publications

1. Michalek, S.M., McGhee, J.R., Mestecky, J., Arnold, R.R. and Bozzo, L.  Ingestion of Streptococcus mutans induces secretory IgA and caries immunity. Science 192:1238-1240, 1976.
2. Hirschfeld, M., Weis, J.J., Toshchakov, V., Salkowski, C.A., Cody, M.J., Ward, D.C., Qureshi, N., Michalek, S.M. and Vogel, S.N.  Signaling by toll-like receptor 2 and 4 agonists results in differential gene expression in murine macrophages. Infect. Immun. 69:1477-1482, 2001.
3. Martin, M., Katz, J., Vogel, S.N. and Michalek, S.M.  Differential induction of endotoxin tolerance by lipopolysaccharides derived from Porphyromonas gingivalis and Escherichia coli. J. Immunol.  167:5278-5285, 2001.
4. Martin, M., Sharpe, A., Clements, J.D. and Michalek, S.M.  Role of B7 co-stimulatory molecules in the adjuvant activity of the heat-labile enterotoxin of Escherichia coli. J. Immunol. 169:1744-1752, 2002.
5. Zhang, P., Jespersgaard, C., Lamberty-Mallory, L., Huang, Y., Katz, J. and Michalek, S.M.    Enhanced immunogenicity of a genetic chimeric protein consisting of two virulent antigens of Streptococcus mutans and protection against infection. Infect. Immun. 70: 6779-6787, 2002.
6. Dobrovolskaia, M.A., Medvedev, A.E., Thomas, K.E., Cuesta, N., Toshchakov, V., Ren, Tianbo, Cody, M.J., Michalek, S.M., Rice, N.R. and Vogel, S.N.  Induction of in vitro reprogramming by toll-like receptor (TLR)2 and TLR4 agonists in murine macrophages: effects of TLR “homotolerance” versus “heterotolerance” on NF-kB signaling pathway components. J. Immunol. 170:508-519, 2003.
7. Martin, M., Schifferle, R.E., Cuesta, N., Vogel, S.N., Katz, J. and Michalek, S.M.  Role of the P13 kinases-Akt pathway in the regulation of IL-10 and IL-12 by Porphyromonas gingivalislipopolysaccharide. J. Immunol. 171: 717-725, 2003.
8. Zhang, P., Martin, M., Yang, Q-B., Michalek, S.M. and Katz, J.  Role of B7 costimulatory molecules in immune responses and T-helper cell differentiation to recombinant HagB from Prophyromonasgingivalis. Infect. Immun.  72:637-644, 2004.
9. Zhang, P., Martin, M., Michalek, S.M. and Katz, J.  Role of mitogen-activated protein kinases and NF-κB in the regulation of proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines by Porphyromonasgingivalis Hemagglutinin B. Infect. Immun. 73:3990-3998, 2005.
10. Martin, M., Rehani, K., Jope, R.S. and Michalek, S.M.  Toll-like receptor-mediated cytokine production is differentially regulated by glycogen synthase kinase-3. Nat. Immunol.  6:777-784, 2005.