Jonathan B. Lynch, PhD

Highlights

Languages

English

Gender

Male

Johns Hopkins Affiliations:

Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Faculty

About Jonathan B. Lynch

Primary Academic Title

Assistant Professor of Molecular and Comparative Pathobiology

Background

Dr. Lynch received his BA in biology and psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied HIV drug resistance in the lab of Dr. Bob Doms. He then moved to Stanford University, where he began his love of host-microbe interactions while pursuing his Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology in the lab of Dr. Justin Sonnenburg. His thesis work identified the molecular regulation of nutrient consumption hierarchies by a gut bacterium, describing how these bacteria "chose" which sugars to metabolize in the intestine. He then moved to the lab of Dr. Ned Ruby at the University of Hawaii-Manoa for a postdoctoral fellowship, where he used the model squid-Vibrio symbiosis to characterize fundamental aspects of animal-bacteria symbiosis. His research there included bacterial physiological responses to symbiosis, symbiosis-dependent bacteriophage resistance, and biophysical determinants of symbiotic motility. He concluded his postdoctoral training in the lab of Dr. Elaine Hsiao at UCLA, where he returned to the gut microbiota to apply his host-microbe expertise to exploring understudied bacteria from the genus Turicibacter. He identified genes these bacteria use to influence host lipids, cholesterol, and serotonin production, potentially positioning these bacteria at the center of several important host processes.

Dr. Lynch's current research focuses on the determinants of host-microbe symbiosis, from fundamental molecular processes that bind animals and bacteria to the applied uses of the microbiota to treat lipid and neurological disorders. His research group emphasizes creative approaches to difficult problems and training scientists from all backgrounds to be leaders in their future fields.

Additional Academic Titles

Assistant Professor of Molecular Biology and Genetics

Research Interests

Host-microbe interactions, microbiota, bacterial influences on host lipids and neurotransmitters

Lab Website

Host-Microbe Dynamics - Lab Website

Research Summary

We explore how symbiotic bacteria sense, respond to, and shape host physiology, from molecular mechanisms to translational applications.

PubMed - Publications

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/1t7grWK_ge35_/bibliography/public/

Selected Publications

Jonathan B. Lynch, Gonzalez EL, Choy K, Faull KF, Jewell T, Arrellano A, Liang J, Yu KB, Paramo J, Hsiao EY. Gut microbiota Turicibacter strains differentially modify bile acids and host lipids. Nature Communications 14(3669), 2023. bioRxiv
Jonathan B. Lynch, Hsiao EY. Microbiomes as sources of emergent host phenotypes. Science, (365)6460, 2019. Highlighted in Faculty Opinions, 2020
Jonathan B. Lynch, Hsiao EY. Toward understanding links between the microbiome and neurotransmitters. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 1-7, 2023. -Highlighted in H1 Connect, 2023
Jonathan B. Lynch, James NG, McFall-Ngai M, Ruby EG, Shin S, Takagi D. Transitioning to confined spaces impacts bacterial swimming and escape response. Biophysical Journal 121(13), 2022. bioRxiv
Jonathan B. Lynch, Schwartzman JA, Bennett BD, McAnulty SJ, Knop M, Nyholm SV, Ruby EG. Ambient pH Alters the Protein Content of Outer Membrane Vesicles, Driving Host Development in a Beneficial Symbiosis. Journal of Bacteriology, 201(20), 2019

Honors

Graduate Research Fellowship, National Science Foundation
F32 Postdoctoral Fellowship, National Institutes of Health
Postdoctoral Fellowship, Ford Foundation/NASEM
Intersections Fellowship, ISFS
Leadership in Diversity Award, Stanford Biosciences Office of Graduate Education and Diversity