Proposed mechanisms underlining the potential effects of Staphylococcal superantigens on the development of type two diabetes

ii To my parents for their infinite love, support, and understanding iii Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail Ralph Waldo Emerson iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First and foremost, I want to extend my deepest thanks to my advisor Dr. Patrick Schlievert for his exceptional mentoring and guidance. Pat is a true mentor in every sense of the word. Pat does not just teach you how to excel in science, he teaches you how to think and be creative. He also teaches you how to write and present science in the most convincing way, and sometimes even how to defend it. When it comes to deciding your path, Pat does not hold your hand and show you the way, he instead nurtures and encourages you to become the scientist that you want to be. For that, Pat is the best mentor I could have asked for. Thank you very much for supporting my science, and for believing me when nobody else did. I know this takes a tremendous amount of effort on your part, and I am truly grateful for that. I'd like to give a special thank-you to Dr. Wilmara Salgado-Pabón for her guidance and support in addition to teaching me so many things instrumental to my thesis work. I'd also like to thank Chistopher Stach for his substantial contributions to chapter I of my thesis work, and for being such a good inspiration for all these years. Special thanks to Joe, Alfa, and Lizzy for always keeping the lab fun and animated. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with you these last few years. Thank you to my committee members, To my parents, Gia and Tam, my sister, Ngoc, and all my extended family in Vietnam, to my Aunt, Mai, and her family, I thank you all for your support and patience. Sorry for staying away for so long, and missing all the family memorable moments. I v hope that I did not let you down. ABSTRACT Background: Obesity has a strong correlation with the development of type two