Scott E. Bingham
Molecular biology of algae and chloroplast molecular biology
Associate Research Scientist, at Arizona State University since 1989. Previously: Director of Molecular Biology at Martek Corporation in Columbia, MD; Research Scientist at Martin Marietta Laboratory, Baltimore, MD; postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Colorado and Southern Illinois University. Research projects in the molecular biology of algae and chloroplast molecular biology.
My research focuses on gene expression in algae. We are interested in characterizing the genes involved in synthesis of long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in certain algae. We are creating an Expressed Sequence Tag (EST) database for a PUFA producing alga and identifying the putative function of cDNAs through homology searches by computer. A second tact is to utilize available sequence information for genes related to PUFA genes to design synthetic oligonucleotides to be used in PCR amplification of the PUFA genes from a cDNA library. Both techniques have proven useful in gene identification in many organisms.
A second project involves a collaboration with Andrew Webber on analysis of the photosystem I reaction center proteins of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. We have set up a chloroplast transformation system for the organism by which we can introduce in vitro modified genes into the chloroplast to assess the function of particular domains of the reaction center polypeptides. These experiments are aimed at identifying the residues involved in binding the electron transfer components of photosystem I as well as those involved in assembling the complex. Mutants are analyzed for synthesis and assembly of their photosystem I components as well as for expression of the respective chloroplast genes. A variety of biophysical techniques are employed to analyze the function of altered photosystem I components in these organisms.
Selected Publications
Ramesh, VM, Gibasiewicz, K, Lin, S, Bingham, SE, and Webber, AN. (2004) Bidirectional Electron Transfer in PhotosystemI: Accumulation of Ao in A-side or B-side mutants of the Axial Ligand to Chlorophyll Ao Biochemistry, In Press.
Rousch, JM, Bingham, SE, Sommerfeld MR (2004) Protein expression thermo-tolerant and thermo-intolerant diatoms. Jour. Exp. Marine Biol. And Ecology, in press.
Guillebault, D, Derrelle, E, Lozano, J-C, Bingham, S, and Moreau, H (2002) A new class of transcription initiation factors intermediate between TATA box-binding proteins (TPBs) and TPB-like factors (TLFs), is present in the marine inicellular organism, the dinoflagellate Crypthecodinioum cohnii. Jour. Biol. Chem. 277:40881-40886.
Fast,NM, Xue, L, Bingham, S, Keeling, PJ (2002) Re-examining Alveolate Evolution Using Multiple Protein Molecular Phylogenies, Jour. Eukaryotic Microbiology 49(1): 30-37.
Webber, AN, H Lee, and SE Bingham. (1998). Assembly and Function of Photosystem I. IN: Molecular Biology of Chlamydomonas: Photosynthesis and Respiration (Rochaix, Merchant and Goldschmidt-Clermont, eds.) pp 323-348.
Webber, AN, H Lee, and SE Bingham. (1998). Chloroplast transformation for genetic engineering of photosynthetic complexes. IN: Methods in Enzymology. Vol. 297:311-319.
Melkozernov, AN, H Su, S Lin, SE Bingham, AN Webber, and RE Blankenship. (1997). Specific mutation near the primary donor in photosystem I from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii alters the trapping time and spectroscopic properties of P700. Biochemistry 36:2898-2907.
Webber, AN, H Su, SE Bingham, H Kass, L Krabben, M Kuhn, R Jordan, E Schlodder, and W Lubitz. (1996). Site-directed mutations affecting the spectroscopic characteristics and midpoint potential of the primary donor in photosystem I. Biochemistry 35:12857-12863.
Chou, C-W, SE Bingham, and P Williams. (1996). Affinity methods for purification of DNA sequencing reaction products for mass spectrometric analysis. Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry 10:1410-1414.
Lee, HM, SE Bingham, and AN Webber. (1996). Site-directed mutagenesis and analysis of second-site revertants indicates a requirement for c-terminal amino acids of PsaB for stable assembly of the photosystem I reaction center in C. reinhardtii. Photochemistry Photobiology 64:46-52.
Lee, HM, SE Bingham, and AN Webber. (1996). Function of 3' non-coding sequences and stop codon usage in expression of the chloroplast PsaB gene in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Plant Molecular Biology 31:337-354.