Dept Name: Veterinary and Microbiological Sciences
Room:          108
Ph #:             231-7848
E-mail address:Birgit.Pruess@ndsu.edu

North Dakota State University
Fargo, ND 58105

1.         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.

2.         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.

3.         Staatsexamen in Chemistry (equivalent to a M.S., for teaching at high schools), Ruhr-Universität Bochum, 1983-1991

 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

  The long-term goal of my research group is to understand virulence mechanisms in enteric bacteria that involve flagellar proteins. During the past eleven years, we have developed a complex regulatory network with the flagellar master regulator FlhD/FlhC as central regulator.  We have investigated the effect of environmental signals upon the expression of flhD and its consequences upon the physiology of the cell.

 To find non-flagella targets of FlhD/FlhC, we have performed DNA microarrays. Comparison of wild-type cells with FlhD/FlhC mutants shows that FlhD/FlhC is involved in balancing aerobic and anaerobic metabolic pathways. This regulation involves the induction of the methyl-accepting chemotaxis protein Aer. The current working hypothesis links a large variety of environmental signals to a regulation of respiration and the Entner-Doudoroff pathway through FlhD/FlhC and Aer. The Entner-Doudoroff pathway is the major pathway for the degradation of sugar acids, which rank among the most important nutrients for E. coli when living in the intestine. The regulation of this pathway together with the involvement of FlhD/FlhC and Aer in a potential switch from aerobic to anaerobic growth indicate an involvement of FlhD/FlhC and Aer during adaptation to life in the intestine. We will develop an animal model to test this hypothesis, using streptomycin treated mice. The mechanism by which Aer regulates anaerobic respiration and the Entner-Doudoroff pathway will be investigated.

            In addition to the work with E. coli, we would like to apply what we have learned from E. coli to other pathogenic enteric bacteria. We have started with Yersinia enterocolitica. The genome has been sequenced by Sanger and annotated by Integrated Genomics. A DNA microarray has been developed and first data have been obtained. The involvement of flagella genes in temperature regulated gene expression was determined. It seems like the temperature regulation of flagella genes is not mediated by the master regulator FlhD/FlhC, but by the flagella specific sigma factor FliA. This is a major difference to E. coli, where all the environmental control goes through FlhD/FlhC. The inverse regulation of flagellar genes and virulence genes by FliA is currently under investigation.

 1.        Forschungsstipendium, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, 1993.

2.         Dean's Post-doctoral Fellowship in Molecular Biology, Loyola University, 1992.

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

SELECTED PUBLICATION       LIST   

1.  Barker, C.S., B.M. Prüß, and P. Matsumura. 2004. Increased motility of Escherichia coli by IS element insertion into the regulatory region of the flhD operon. J. Bacteriol. 186:7529-7537.

2. Kapatral, V., J.W. Campbell, S.A. Minnich, N.R. Thomson, P. Matsumura, and B.M. Prüß. 2004. Gene array analysis of Yersinia enterocolitica FlhD and FlhC: regulation of enzymes affecting synthesis and degradation of carbamoyl-phosphate. Microbiol. 150:2289.

3. Wolfe, A.J., D.-E. Chang, J.D. Walker, J.E. Seitz-Partridge, M.D. Vidaurri, C.F. Lange, B.M. Prüß, M.C. Henk, J.C. Larkin, and T. Conway. 2003. Acetyl phosphate functions as a global signal during biofilm development. Mol. Microbiol. 48:977.

4. Prüß, B.M., J.W. Campbell, T.K. Van-Dyk, C. Zhu, Y. Kogan, and P. Matsumura. 2003. FlhD/FlhC is a regulator of anaerobic respiration and the Entner-Doudoroff pathway through induction of the methyl-accepting chemotaxis protein Aer. J. Bacteriol. 185:534.

5. Prüß, B.M., X. Liu, W. Hendrickson, and P. Matsumura. 2001. FlhD/FlhC regulated promoters analyzed by gene array and lacZ gene fusions. FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 197:91.

6. Wei, B.L., A.-M. Brun-Zinkernagel, J.W. Simecka, Prüß, B.M., P.   Babitzke, and T. Romeo. 2001. Positive regulation of motility and flhDC expression by the RNA-binding protein CsrA of Escherichia coli. Mol. Microbiol. 40:245. 

PRESENTATIONS AND ABSTRACTS 

 1.        Prüß, B.M. 2005. Mechanism and Physiology of Aer mediated gene regulation. Bacterial Locomotion and Signal Transduction (BLAST) meeting in Boca Raton FL.

2.         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.

3.         Prüß, B.M., V. Kapatral, M. Melar, and P. Matsumura. 2003. Microarray analysis of Yersinia enterocolitica FlhD/FlhC. Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy in Chicago IL.

4.         Barker, C.S., B.M. Prüß, A. Campos, and P. Matsumura. 2003. FlhD/FlhC regulation of expression of the ompT gene, and gltB, gcvT, and cadB operons suggests a combinatorial mechanism. Bacterial Locomotion and Signal Transduction (BLAST) meeting in Cuernavaca Mexico.

5.         Prüß, B.M., and P. Matsumura. 2003. FlhD/FlhC of Yersinia enterocolitica is a regulator of metabolism. Bacterial Locomotion and Signal Transduction (BLAST) meeting in Cuernavaca Mexico.

6.         Prüß, B.M., J.W. Campbell, Y. Kogan, and P. Matsumura. 2003. FlhD/FlhC regulates anaerobic respiration and the Entner-Doudoroff pathway through induction of the methyl accepting chemotaxis protein Aer. Bacterial Locomotion and Signal Transduction (BLAST) meeting in Cuernavaca Mexico.

7.         Prüß, B.M., J.W. Campbell, T.K. Van Dyk,     Y. Kogan, and P. Matsumura. 2002. FlhD/FlhC is a regulator of anaerobic respiration and the Entner- Doudoroff pathway through induction of the methyl-accepting chemotaxis protein Aer. Annual Midwest Microbial Pathogenesis Meeting in Indianapolis IN.