Dr Xuelei Li Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Monash University Clayton, Victoria, 3800 Email: Xuelei.Li@med.monash.edu.au
		Research areas Xuelei’s current research is focused on the investigating interactions and functions of proteins involved in autophagy and the role of autophagy in host cell response to microbial infection, such as Burkholderia pseudomellei's infection. B. Pseudomallei is the causative agent of melioidosis. It is capable of invading many cell types, and can survive and proliferate for prolonged periods within phagocytic cells. Autophagy is a multistep intracellular pathway used by eukaryotic cells to degrade cytoplasmic content including infectious organisms such as bacteria. The cellular process of autophagy involves the sequestration of regions of the cytosol within double-membrane-bound compartments that then mature (autophagosome) and degrade their cytoplasmic contents. A series proteins involved in the Autophagy process. Dr Li is investigating the key proteins that potentially response to microbial infection. Xuelei's work is done in collaboration with Centre Director Professor Ben Adler.