| ADDRESS |
Dept Name: Veterinary and
Microbiological Sciences North Dakota State University |
| EDUCATION | Ph.D., Institut für Physiologische Chemie, Ruhr-Universität Bochum Germany, 1989-1991 Thesis: "The glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase from Haloarcula vallismortis: structure and function of the enzyme". Thesis Advisor: A.W. Holldorf and A. Trebst. Diploma in Biology (equivalent to a B.S. and M.S.), Ruhr-Universität Bochum and Max-Planck Institut Dortmund, 1983-1988 Thesis: "Protein structure: semisynthesis of bacterioopsin". Thesis Advisor: B. Hess and A. Trebst. Staatsexamen in Chemistry (equivalent to a M.S., for teaching at high schools), Ruhr-Universität Bochum, 1983-1991 |
| PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE |
1. Assistant Professor, Department of Veterinary and Microbiological Sciences, North Dakota State University, 2004 to present Primary area of Research: Regulation of virulence genes in enteric bacteria Primary teaching responsibility: Bacterial physiology
2. a) Visiting Research Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1999 to 2004 Primary area of Research: Escherichia coli FlhD/FlhC is a global regulator b) Project Coordinator, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Illinois at Chicago, 2002 to present Primary teaching responsibility: Supervision of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows
3. Habilitand (Assistant Professor), Institut für Mikrobiologie, Technische Universität München, Freising Germany, 1997-1999 Primary areas of Research: a) Correlation of 16S rDNA signature sequences with growth rates at low temperatures; b) Toxin production in Bacillus cereus
4. Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1994-1997 Laboratory: Dr. Philip Matsumura Primary area of Research: Escherichia coli FlhD regulates cell division
5. Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Loyola University Chicago, 1992-1994 Laboratory: Dr. Alan J. Wolfe Primary areas of Research: a) Acetyl phosphate is an inhibitor of Escherichia coli flagella expression b) The multiple phenotypes resulting from a mutation in NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase.
6. Research Assistant, Institut für Physiologische Chemie, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Germany, 1989-1991 Laboratory: Dr. A.W. Holldorf Primary areas of Research: a) Purification and characterization of the glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase from Haloarcula vallismortis. b) Carbohydrate metabolism in halophilic bacteria.
7. Student Assistant, Max-Planck Institut Dortmund, 1987-1988 Laboratory : Dr. M. Engelhardt Primary area of Research: Semisynthesis of bacterioopsin |
| SELECTED RESEARCH AND OTHER SCHOLARLY ACTIVITIES |
Selected research and other scholarly activities The center of my research is the development of a network of transcriptional regulation in Escherichia coli that centers around the global regulator FlhD/FlhC. This work started with of a book that I was invited to edit in 2005 and that introduced the global network (Prüß, 2005). The book contains articles from researchers that work with diverse transcriptional regulators, such as the two-component response regulators OmpR and RcsB, or the global regulator H-NS. As a continuation of this work, a review article combines these data into one network of transcriptional regulation, using the formation of biofilms as a connecting theme (Prüß et al., 2006). Together with Dr. Anne Denton from Computer Sciences, I developed a software for the analysis of such transcriptional networks (Besemann et al., 2006). This software facilitates the analysis of complex data, such as microarray data. This project is at the center of my research from which the four experimental projects evolve. The first two of the experimental projects relate to the regulation of virulence factors in Escherichia coli and Yersinia enterocolitica. In E. coli, FlhD/FlhC and Aer affect genes of anaerobic respiration and sugar acid degradation, processes that are required as the bacterium adjusts to life in the intestine. We developed a murine animal model to study colonization of the intestine by E. coli and found that the aer mutant had a competitive disadvantage in colonizing the intestine. In Y. enterocolitica, we discovered a regulatory circuit that affects the expression of virulence factors through FlhD/FlhC and FliA (Horne and Prüß, 2006). In addition, we developed an avian animal model to study pathogenicity in Y. enterocolitica (Townsend et al., 2008). In this model, the flhD but not the fliA mutant exhibits a reduced lethality when compared to the wild-type strain. We believe that this is due to the lack of a functional type III secretion system in this mutant. The third and fourth experimental projects are a direct result of our networking studies. We are currently investigating the effect of the network on the formation of biofilms, a hypothesis that was formed in the previous manuscript. In addition, we are studying global regulation on the surface of beef with the intention of developing a spray that reduces either the number or the pathogenicity of E. coli on beef.
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| AWARDS AND HONORS |
Larson/Yaggie Excellence in Research Award, Office of the Vice President for Agriculture and University Extension, 2006. Gordon A. Larson Agricultural Research Award, NDSU Development Foundation, 2007. |
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PROFESSIONAL AND HONOR SOCIETIES |
1. American Society for Microbiology (ASM)
2. American Society for the Advancement of Sciences (AAAS)
3. Gesellschaft für Biochemie und Molekular Biologie
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SELECTED PUBLICATION LIST |
Selected Publications (since arrival at NDSU) Prüß, B. M. 2005. Global regulatory networks in enteric bacteria, published by Research Signpost, Trivandrum, India. Horne, S.M., and B.M. Prüß. 2006. Global gene regulation in Yersinia enterocolitica: effect of FliA on the expression levels of flagellar and plasmid-encoded virulence genes. Arch. Microbiol. 185:115-126. Prüβ , B.M., C. Besemann, A. Denton, and A.J. Wolfe. 2006. A complex transcription network controls the early stages of biofilm formation. J. Bacteriol. 188:3731-3739. Besemann, C., A. Denton, N. Carr, and B.M. Prüß. 2006. BISON: Bio-Interface for the Semi-global analysis Of Network patterns. Source Code for Biol. and Med. 1:8. Townsend, M.K., J. Iyer, N. Carr, S.M. Horne, P.S. Gibbs, and B.M. Prüβ. 2008. Phenotypes of a Yersinia enterocolitica flhD mutant include reduced lethality in a chicken embryo model. BMC Microbiol. 8:12.
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PRESENTATIONS AND ABSTRACTS (student contributions are underlined) |
Prüß, B.M. 2005. Mechanism and Physiology of Aer mediated gene regulation. Bacterial Locomotion and Signal Transduction (BLAST) meeting in Boca Raton FL. Barker, C.S., B.M. Prüß, and P. Matsumura. 2004. Activation of motility in Escherichia coli by spontaneous IS element insertion into the regulatory region of the flhD operon. General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) in New Orleans LA. Iyer, J. , N. Carr, M. Townsend, and B.M. Prüß. 2006. Phenotypic characterization of a Yersinia enterocolitica flhD mutant. Proceedings of the North Dakota Academy of Science. Speaker Jyoti Iyer. Carrr, N., J. Iyer, M. Townsend, and B.M. Prüβ. 2006. Phenotypic characterization of a Yersinia enterocolitica flhD mutant. General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) in Orlando FL. Poster presented by N. Carr. Townsend, M.K. , S.M. Horne, and B.M. Prüß. 2006. Effects of FlhD/FlhC on metabolic and peptide transport gene expression in Yersinia enterocolitica. American Society for Microbiology, North Central Branch (ASM-NCB) meeting in Brookings SD. Speaker M. Townsend. Townsend, M.K., J. Iyer, N. Carr, P.S. Gibbs, and B.M. Prüβ. 2007. Non-flagellar phenotypes of Yersinia enterocolitica flagellar mutants. Proceedings of the North Dakota Academy of Science. Speaker Megan Townsend. Sule, P., N. Carr, and B.M. Prüß. 2007. A new assay for the quantification of biofilms. Proceedings of the North Dakota Academy for Science. Speaker Preeti Sule. Townsend, M.K., P.S. Gibbs, and B.M. Prüß. 2007. Use of the embryo lethality assay to study regulation of Yersinia enterotocolitica virulence by flagellar proteins. General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) in Toronto, Canada. Poster presented by M.K. Townsend. Prüß, B.M., M.K. Townsend, J. Wu, and A. Denton. 2007. Finding relationships between protein functions and gene expression data. Conference on Genomics and the Land Grant Mission in West Lafayette, IN. Poster presented by M.K. Townsend. This poster won 1 st place in the MS student poster competition.
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