Publications by authors named "Catherine K McKeown"

Background: The ability of Clostridium thermocellum ATCC 27405 wild-type strain to hydrolyze cellulose and ferment the degradation products directly to ethanol and other metabolic byproducts makes it an attractive candidate for consolidated bioprocessing of cellulosic biomass to biofuels. In this study, whole-genome microarrays were used to investigate the expression of C. thermocellum mRNA during growth on crystalline cellulose in controlled replicate batch fermentations.

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Interest in engineered nanostructures has risen in recent years due to their use in energy conservation strategies and biomedicine. To ensure prudent development and use of nanomaterials, the fate and effects of such engineered structures on the environment should be understood. Interactions of nanomaterials with environmental microorganisms are inevitable, but the general consequences of such interactions remain unclear, due to a lack of standard methods for assessing such interactions.

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Elucidation of protein-protein interactions can provide new knowledge on protein function. Enrichments of affinity-tagged (or "bait") proteins with interaction partners generally include background, nonspecific protein artifacts. Furthermore, in vivo bait expression may introduce additional artifacts arising from altered physiology or metabolism.

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Background: Economic feasibility and sustainability of lignocellulosic ethanol production requires the development of robust microorganisms that can efficiently degrade and convert plant biomass to ethanol. The anaerobic thermophilic bacterium Clostridium thermocellum is a candidate microorganism as it is capable of hydrolyzing cellulose and fermenting the hydrolysis products to ethanol and other metabolites. C.

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One of the most promising methods for large-scale studies of protein interactions is isolation of an affinity-tagged protein with its in vivo interaction partners, followed by mass spectrometric identification of the copurified proteins. Previous studies have generated affinity-tagged proteins using genetic tools or cloning systems that are specific to a particular organism. To enable protein-protein interaction studies across a wider range of Gram-negative bacteria, we have developed a methodology based on expression of affinity-tagged "bait" proteins from a medium copy-number plasmid.

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A biological process for removal of mercury from coal is under investigation. Iron and sulfur oxidizing bacteria have previously been used for desulfurization of coal and for mineral mining. We have shown that removal of mercury from coal is also possible via the same principles.

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Clostridium thermocellum is an anaerobic, thermophilic bacterium that can directly convert cellulosic substrates into ethanol. Microarray technology is a powerful tool to gain insights into cellular processes by examining gene expression under various physiological states. Oligonucleotide microarray probes were designed for 96.

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A biological process for removal of mercury from coal is under investigation. Iron and sulfur oxidizing bacteria have previously been used for desulfurization of coal and for mineral mining. We have shown that removal of mercury from coal is also possible via the same principles.

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A method was developed and validated to quantitatively apply and "fix" uranyl contamination onto a metal surface (steel). Simple approaches are needed to create test surfaces in order to quantify contaminant removal or "decon" methods. We used steel discs sized to allow direct and accurate alpha counting in a Ludlum scanner from radioactive contaminants.

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A method was developed and validated to quantitatively apply and "fix" uranyl contamination onto a metal surface (steel). Simple approaches are needed to create test surfaces in order to quantify contaminant removal or "decon" methods. We used steel discs sized to allow direct and accurate alpha counting in a Ludlum scanner from radioactive contaminants.

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Synopsis of recent research by authors named "Catherine K McKeown"

  • - Catherine K McKeown's research primarily focuses on bioprocessing and bioremediation, particularly using microorganisms such as *Clostridium thermocellum* for biofuel production from lignocellulosic biomass and developing biological methods for metal removal from environmental sources.
  • - Her work includes transcriptomic and proteomic analyses to understand the mechanisms of cellulose degradation and the composition of cellulosomes in *Clostridium thermocellum*, demonstrating its potential for efficient bioethanol production.
  • - McKeown also investigates the environmental impact of engineered nanoparticles on microbial life and has developed innovative methods for studying protein-protein interactions in Gram-negative bacteria to enhance our understanding of microbial functionalities.

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