Puthayalai(June) Treerat

Enthusiastic, innovative researcher with a passionate commitment to achieve results. Experienced in a variety of scientific techniques with excellent organizational and time management skills coupled with a strong work ethic, ability to work efficiently in a team with strong dedication and commitment to success and excellence. Management Skills. Strong organizational, planning and time management skills, ability to establish work priorities and work efficiently to meet timelines. High-level administration, record keeping and resource management skills, thorough lab book with meticulous attention to detail. Highly motivated with ability to work independently and proactively, ability to embrace new ideas and challenges besides contributing to new ideas, skilled in multitasking between lab-based work and undergraduate teaching commitments. Logical and practical approach to problem solving as demonstrated through trouble-shooting of experimental protocols. Excellent Information and Communication Technology skills including ability to use scientific software such as bioinformatics programs. Communication and Interpersonal Skills. Highly developed oral presentation and communication skills as evident in classroom teaching and communication with fellow colleagues and supervisors. Strong written communication skills demonstrated through formulating manuscript, abstracts for poster and oral presentations and reports outlining recent findings. Ability to deliver scientific oral presentations in a succinct and clear manner using Microsoft power point. Excellent interpersonal skills with ability to relate well to a diverse audience and develop good rapport with lab members, supervisors and students.

• RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS
• Conducted groundbreaking research on the interspecies interactions of oral commensals within the human oral microbiome, with a particular focus on Corynebacterium spp. and Streptococcus spp.
• Investigated the molecular mechanisms underlying interactions between Corynebacterium durum (Cd) and Streptococcus sanguinis SK36 (SK36), two common commensals found in the oral cavity and dental plaque.
• Identified the impact of Cd supernatant and membrane vesicles (MVs) on SK36 chain length, indicating potential roles of fatty acids in the elongation of SK36.
• Uncovered upregulation of certain genes encoding proteins for adherence and aggregation in SK36 treated with Cd supernatant, suggesting the involvement of specific molecular mechanisms in interspecies interactions.
• Pioneered the study of interspecies interactions among oral commensals and their potential implications on dental diseases.
• Conducted pioneering research on the role of IL-22, a key proinflammatory cytokine, in host immune responses during tuberculosis (TB) progression caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb).
• Investigated the molecular mechanisms underlying the control of Mtb infection and disease outcomes, with a focus on the role of IL-22 in regulating inflammatory responses.
• Unraveled the importance of IL-22 in a strain-dependent manner, particularly with the hypervirulent Mtb strain HN878, through experimental studies using Il-22-/- mice.
• Identified alterations in several key cytokines and chemokines in Mtb HN878 infected Il-22-/- mice, providing insights into the regulatory role of IL-22 in cytokine production during TB progression.
• Contributed to the understanding of host immune responses and cytokine regulation in the context of TB, advancing knowledge in the field of TB immunology.
• Led and executed a comprehensive project to fully characterize the type III secretion system (TTSS3) proteins BapA, BapB, and BapC in Burkholderia pseudomallei, with a focus on their functions as TTSS3 effectors and their involvement in assembly and secretion mechanisms of the TTSS3 needle-like apparatus.
• Employed the TC-FlAsHTM-based fluorescence labelling technique to investigate the in vitro secretion of tetracysteine-tagged fusion proteins, revealing the TTSS3-dependent secretion of BapA and BapC, while BapB functioned as a TTSS3 chaperone.
• Conducted further investigations to determine the roles of BapA, BapB, and BapC proteins in the assembly and/or secretion of the TTSS3 apparatus using the well-known TTSS3 effector BopE as a marker.
• Revealed through Western blot and real-time PCR analyses that BapB plays a key role in either regulating TTSS3 secretion, interacting with BopE, or regulating bopE transcription, shedding light on crucial aspects of TTSS3 functionality.
• Characterized BapA and BapC as new TTSS3 effectors, and identified BapB as a regulator of TTSS3 secretion, providing novel insights into the virulence mechanisms of B. pseudomallei.