Wisconsin Discovery Portal

Researcher's Profile

Last Name

Roberts 

First Name

Gary 

Middle Initial

Areas of Research Expertise

* Genetics and biochemistry of nitrogen fixation and carbon monoxide oxidation
* Regulatory processes involved in the central metabolism of the bacterium Rhodospirillum rubrum
* CooA, a dimeric bacterial heme protein that binds carbon monoxide
* PII, one of the most broadly distributed regulatory proteins in nature

Web site

University Web Page of Gary Roberts 

Curriculum Vitae (CV)

 

Current/Active Funding

  • DHHS, PHS, NIH, 2008-2012, Molecular Basis of PII Function

Issued Patent(s)

 

USPTO Published Applications

Recent Publication(s)

  • "Ligand Responses of Vfr, the Virulence Factor Regulator from Pseudomonas aeruginosa"

Serate J, Roberts GP, Berg O, Journal of Bacteriology 193(18): 4859-4868 Sep 2011. Here we report that Vfr has important functional differences from CRP in terms of ligand sensing and response. 

  • "The Poor Growth of Rhodospirillum rubrum Mutants Lacking RubisCO Is Due to the Accumulation of Ribulose-1,5-Bisphosphate"

Wang D, Zhang YP, Pohlmann EL, et al., Journal of Bacteriology 193(13): 3293-3303 Jul 2011. However, we present analyses of cbbM mutants in Rhodospirillum rubrum that indicate that toxicity is the result of an elevated intracellular pool of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate (RuBP).

  • "Sustaining N-2-Dependent Growth in the Presence of CO"

Kerby RL, Roberts GP, Journal of Bacteriology 193 (3): 774-777 Feb 2011. Low levels of carbon monoxide inhibit the N-2-dependent growth of Rhodospirillum rubrum unless the similar to 100-residue CowN protein is expressed.

  • "Elimination of Rubisco alters the regulation of nitrogenase activity and increases hydrogen production in Rhodospirillum rubrum"

Wang D, Zhang YP, Welch E, et al., International Journal of Hydrogen Energy 35 (14): 7377-7385 Jul 2010.  The combination of mutations in nifA, draT and cbbM greatly increased H-2 production of R. rubrum, especially in the presence of excess of ammonium. Furthermore, these mutants are able to produce H-2 over a much longer time frame than the wild type, increasing the potential of these recombinant strains for the biological production of H-2.

Recent Artistic Works

 

Collaboration

  • China Agr University, Microbiology & Immunology

Research Tools

 

Research Facilities

 

E-mail Address

groberts@bact.wisc.edu 

Phone Number

(608) 262-3567 

Current University

UW - Madison 

Department

Bacteriology 

Title

Professor 

Other Appointments

 

Address Line 1

5155 Microbial Sciences Building 

Address Line 2

1550 Linden Drive 

City

Madison 

State

WI 

Zip Code

53706 

Bachelor's Degree

BS, University of California-Berkeley, 1970

Master's Degree

 

PhD

PhD, University of California-Berkeley, 1978

Other Degrees

 

Technologies Available for Licensing

Attachments
Created at 6/12/2007 2:07 PM  by Mindy Dawson 
Last modified at 10/10/2011 11:43 AM  by EXTWEB\rshea