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Recent Publications by IM Students and Faculty

Below are recent publications by IM students, faculty, and affiliates. Would you like your research showcased? Send your paper to duavang@iastate.edu in time for the next edition!

Bold Indicates ISU faculty and affiliates 

^Indicates publications by IM students

1. ^Anast JMBobik TASchmitz-Esser S. The Cobalamin-Dependent Gene Cluster of Listeria monocytogenes: Implications for Virulence, Stress Response, and Food Safety. Front Microbiol. 2020;11:601816. Published 2020 Nov 6. doi:10.3389/fmicb.2020.601816

Summary: Listeria monocytogenes is a member of the Firmicutes phylum and is the causative agent of the rare but highly fatal foodborne disease listeriosis. The eutpdu, and cob/cbi operons, which are responsible for the metabolism of ethanolamine (EA) and 1,2-propanediol (PD) and are essential during the pathogenic lifecycles of various enteric pathogens, are organized as a single large locus collectively referred to as the cobalamin-dependent gene cluster (CDGC). The CDGC is well conserved in L. monocytogenes; however, functional characterization of the genes in this cluster and how they may contribute to Listeria virulence and stress tolerance in food production environments is highly limited. This review aims to summarize the current knowledge of these pathways in L. monocytogenes and their significance in virulence and stress tolerance, especially considering recent developments.

 

2. Alterman, JL, ^DX Vang^MR StroudLJ Halverson, and GA Kraus. Ozonolysis of Alkynes—A Flexible Route to Alpha-Diketones: Synthesis of AI-2. Organic Letters. 2020; 22 (19), 7424-7426. doi: 10.1021/acs.orglett.0c02182

Summary: We developed a mild procedure for the low temperature conversion of alkynes to alpha-diketones, which permits the construction of highly functionalized diketones. We used this method to directly synthesize autoinducer AI-2 that at high extracellular concentrations induces bioluminescence in Vibrio campbellii. The procedure has been used on other alkynes, and we hope to employ these conditions for the synthesis of other natural products.