JOSE LOPEZ, PhD.

lopez@hboi.edu

(Environmental Biology and Public Policy, George Mason University, Fairfax VA, 1995)

The DBMR molecular genetics laboratory research has its foundation in molecular biology and evolutionary genetics, and thus applies the modern tools of molecular biology and phylogenetics to address questions and problems relevant to the drug discovery mission of DBMR, For example, 1) Meeting the supply demands of novel, and potentially therapeutic natural products from marine organisms and 2) expert identification of the source organisms that may be responsible for the biosynthesis of these compounds. Within this context, we are currently involved in collaborations with Florida Atlantic University biochemist, Dr. Russell Kerr, that aim to clone the essential biosynthetic enzyme, terpene cyclase, involved in the production of pseudopterosin and eleutherobin, anti-inflammatory and antitumor terpenoid compounds, respectively, derived from Caribbean soft corals. Other molecular genetics projects have focused on the evolutionary dynamics of polyketide synthase (PKS) loci. Overall, a better understanding of secondary metabolite biosynthetic loci structure, evolution and their expression both in situ and in vitro, will aid in bringing adequate supply of compounds to both the laboratory and eventually the clinic.

A second major project is a National Science Foundation-funded molecular taxonomic survey of diversity present in the Harbor Branch Marine Microbe Collection. In cooperation with DBMR's Fermentation group under Dr. Peter McCarthy, we apply a polyphasic approach, that includes culturing on various media, microscopy and standard small subunit (SSU)16S and 18S rRNA molecular markers to estimate the diversity in the HBMMC, most of which is derived from organisms and habitats below scuba depth (> 120 fsw). Already several novel strains may have been identified, such as an Oceanospirillum and Flavobacterium with less than 90% identity to any entry in current sequence databases. The data will eventually be accessible through an online database - the Harbor Branch Marine Microbe Database (HBMMD) - http://www.hboi.edu/dbmr/dbmr_hbmmd.html

MSMB Course Webpage - CLICK HERE

Selected Publications:

Gunasekera, A., Sfanos, K.A, McCarthy, P.J., Lopez, J.V. HBMMD: an enhanced database of the microorganisms associated with deeper water marine invertebrates. Applied Microbiol. Biotechnol. 2005 Jan;66(4):373-376. Epub 2004 Nov 16.

Lopez, J.V.( 2003) Naturally mosaic secondary metabolite operons: Variability and putative horizontal transfer of discrete catalytic domains in the epothilone polyketide synthase locus. Mol Genet Genomics 270:420-431.

Lopez, J.V., Stephens, J.C, O'Brien, S.J. (1997) The long and short of nuclear mitochondrial lineages. Trends Ecol. Evol. 12(3):114.

Lopez, J.V., Knowlton, N. (1997) Discrimination of the sibling species of the Montastraea annularis complex with multiple genetic loci. Proceedings of the 8th International Coral Reef Symposium, Rep. of Panama. 2:1613-1618.

Lopez, J.V., Kersanach, R., Rehner, S.A., Knowlton, N. (1999) Molecular determination of species boundaries in corals: Genetic analysis of the Montastraea annularis complex using amplified fragment length polymorphisms and a microsatellite marker. Biol. Bull. 196:80-93.

Lopez, J.V. McCarthy, P.J., Janda, K.E., Willoughby, R., Pomponi, S.A. (1999) Molecular techniques reveal wide phyletic diversity of heterotrophic microbes associated with the sponge genus Discodermia (Porifera:Demospongiae). Proceedings of the 5th International Sponge Symposium. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum.

Lopez, J.V. Peterson, C.L., Willoughby, R., Wright, A.E., Enright, E., Zoladz, S., Pomponi, S.A. (2002) Characterization of genetic markers for in vitro cell line identification of the marine sponge, Axinella corrugata. Journal of Heredity. Vol 93:27-36.

Lopez, J.V., Peterson, C.L., Morales, F., Brown, L. (2000) Molecular Studies of Biodiversity in the Field: Andros Island Flora and Fauna in the New Millennium. Bahamas Journal of Science. Bahamas Journal of Science. 8:32-41.

Sandell, K.A., Peterson, C.L., Harmody, D.K., McCarthy, P.J., Pomponi, S.A., Lopez, J.V. (2002) Molecular systematic survey of sponge derived marine microbes. Boll. Mus Ist. Univ. Genova 66-67:172

Sfanos, K.A.S., Harmody, D.K., McCarthy, P.J., Dang, P., Pomponi, S.A. and Lopez, J.V. A Molecular Systematic Survey of Cultured Microbial Associates of Deep Water Marine Invertebrates. System Appl Microbiol. In Press.

Snyder, R.V, Gibbs, P. D. L. , Palacios, A., Abiy, L , Dickey, R., Lopez, J.V, Rein, K.S (2003) Polyketide Synthase Genes from Marine Dinoflagellates. Marine Biotechnology. 5:1-12.

Takabayashi, M., Carter, D.A., Lopez, J.V., Guldberg, O.H. (2003) Genetic Variation of the scleractinian coral, Stylophora pistillata, from Western Pacific reefs. Coral Reefs 22: 17-22.