Daniel Bretl

Daniel Bretl is an Assistant Professor of Microbiology at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, researching how bacteria sense environmental cues to coordinate cellular behaviors through signaling systems. His laboratory investigates two-component signaling pathways using the soil bacterium Myxococcus xanthus, which exhibits complex social behaviors including cooperative motility and multicellular development.

Research focuses on:

• Mechanisms of signal transduction in bacterial systems
• Regulation of Type IV pili-dependent motility
• Oxygen-responsive gene regulation
• Environmental sensing in microbial communities
• Genetic dissection of signaling pathways

Current projects examine the NmpRSTU oxygen-sensing system and its regulon, employing genetic, biochemical, and molecular approaches. Dr. Bretl holds a Ph.D. in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics from the Medical College of Wisconsin and completed postdoctoral training at the University of Iowa and Medical College of Wisconsin.

He teaches undergraduate courses in microbiology, prokaryotic molecular genetics, and research deconstruction, and mentors student researchers studying bacterial behavior and signal integration.