Agricultural and Life Sciences (IFAS)
Rice Lab
Led by Kelly C. Rice · Microbiology and Cell Science
What we study
The Rice Lab studies how bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus mutans form biofilms and cause infections. They investigate nitric oxide, cell death, and microgravity effects on these bacteria.
What working here is like
- Wet lab
- Bacteria & microbes
- Coding helps
- Projects
- 5
- Papers
- 5
Current projects
Determining the contributions of endogenous nitric oxide (NO) to biofilm, physiology and cell-signaling in Staphylococcus aureus
Studying how nitric oxide affects biofilm formation and signaling in Staphylococcus aureus.
Characterizing the role and regulation of cell death in Streptococcus mutans biofilms
Exploring how cell death genes contribute to Streptococcus mutans biofilm formation and virulence.
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Investigating microgravity effects on S. mutans physiology, gene expression, and biofilm development
Testing how microgravity impacts Streptococcus mutans growth and biofilm formation.
Metabolic Adaptation of Staphylococcus aureus in Simulated Microgravity
The lab studies how the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus changes its metabolism when grown in a device that simulates microgravity, at room temperature and at 37°C. RNA sequencing compared gene expression in simulated microgravity with normal-gravity controls.
From the Spring 2025 UF Undergraduate Research Symposium · abstract book, p. 398
Implication of Nitric Oxide (NO) Signaling in Staphylococcus aureus
Researchers study how the gas molecule nitric oxide produced by the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus affects other bacteria that do not make nitric oxide. Students build a green‑fluorescent‑protein reporter in E. coli and grow it with S. aureus to see if the gas travels between cells.
From the Spring 2025 UF Undergraduate Research Symposium · abstract book, p. 165
Summaries are written by AI in plain language from public symposium abstracts and may be imperfect.
Recent papers, explained
- Comparison of Streptococcus mutans growth-phase-dependent transcriptome changes in two different simulated microgravity models
2026 · Microbiology
Compares how Streptococcus mutans changes in different simulated microgravity conditions.
- tRNA modification landscapes in streptococci: shared losses and clade-specific adaptations
2026 · Open Biology
Maps tRNA modifications in Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus pneumoniae, finding shared losses and unique adaptations.
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- Impact of simulated microgravity on the growth and proteomic profile of Enterobacter cloacae
2025 · Microbiology Spectrum
Studies how Enterobacter cloacae adapts to microgravity and its potential impact on astronaut health.
- Environmental Control of Queuosine Levels in Streptococcus mutans tRNAs
2024 · Molecular Microbiology
Validates how Streptococcus mutans synthesizes and recycles queuosine, a key tRNA modification.
- Cariogenic potential of the Streptococcus mutans Cid/Lrg system: an in vivo animal case study
2024 · Microbiology Spectrum
Tests whether the LrgAB system in Streptococcus mutans affects its cariogenic potential in mice.
Plain-language summaries are AI-written and reviewed by us; check the paper for details.
How to reach out
Kelly C. Rice hasn't set up this page yet. Their UF Scholars profile lists their publications.