Biochemistry & Biophysics

James R. Wild

wild Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics
Faculty of Genetics and of Toxicology

Phone: (979) 845-6539
Email : j-wild@tamu.edu
Visit the Wild lab Home Page
B.A. University of California, Davis (1967)
Ph.D. University of California, Riverside (1971)
Postdoc. University of California, Riverside (1972)

Joined Texas A&M faculty in 1975

Gene Expression & Allosteric Control / Enzyme-based Remediation
We have been investigating the comparative regulatory logic and mechanistic diversity (genetic and biochemical processes) involved in the management of metabolic flux at the level of gene expression, allosteric control, and the construction of regulatory networks. Our current research is addressing the structure-function relationship involved in divergent patterns of the allosteric regulation of aspartate transcarbamylase from diverse bacterial systems from psychrophiles to thermophiles.

Enzyme-based Detection and Destruction of Environmental Neurotoxins and Chemical Warfare Agents: We are examining the nature of the active site and the stability of monomeric and dimeric esterases that are capable of hydrolyzing a broad spectrum of organophosphate and carbamate neurotoxins. These later studies have expanded into a variety of applied technologies ranging from the in vivo protection of animals from neurotoxic damage by covalently decorating mammalian red blood cells with detoxifying enzymes to constructing enzyme-based biosensors that can discriminate different classes and subclasses of neurotoxins for rapid field detection.

Recent Publications
  1. Reeves TE, Wales ME, Grimsley JK, Li P, Cerasoli DM & Wild JR (2008) Balancing the stability and the catalytic specificities of OP hydrolases with enhanced V-agent activities. Protein Eng Des Sel 21: 405-12
  2. Qian Y, Venkatraj J, Barhoumi R, Pal R, Datta A, Wild JR & Tiffany-Castiglioni E (2007) Comparative non-cholinergic neurotoxic effects of paraoxon and diisopropyl fluorophosphate (DFP) on human neuroblastoma and astrocytoma cell lines. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 219: 162-71
  3. Ha J, Engler CR & Wild JR (2007) Biodegradation of chlorferon and diethylthiophosphate by consortia enriched from waste cattle dip solution. Bioresour Technol 98: 1916-23
  4. Cho TM, Wild JR, Donnelly KC & Tiffany-Castiglioni E (2006) Degradation of organophosphorus neurotoxicity in SY5Y neuroblastoma cells by organophosphorus hydrolase (OPH). J Toxicol Environ Health A 69: 1413-29
  5. Grimsley JK, Calamini B, Wild JR & Mesecar AD (2005) Structural and mutational studies of organophosphorus hydrolase reveal a cryptic and functional allosteric-binding site. Arch Biochem Biophys 442: 169-79
  6. Gold RS, Maxim J, Halepaska DJ Jr, Wales ME, Johnson DA & Wild JR (2005) Electron beam irradiation as protection against the environmental release of recombinant molecules for biomaterials applications. J Biomater Sci Polym Ed 16: 79-89
  7. Rodríguez M, Good TA, Wales ME, Hua JP & Wild JR (2005) Modeling allosteric regulation of de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis in Escherichia coli. J Theor Biol 234: 299-310
  8. Hong MS, Hong SJ, Barhoumi R, Burghardt RC, Donnelly KC, Wild JR, Venkatraj V & Tiffany-Castiglioni E (2003) Neurotoxicity induced in differentiated SK-N-SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells by organophosphorus compounds. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 186: 110-8
  9. Kim JW, Rainina EI, Mulbry WW, Engler CR & Wild JR (2002) Enhanced-rate biodegradation of organophosphate neurotoxins by immobilized nongrowing bacteria. Biotechnol Prog 18: 429-36
  10. Liu L, Wales ME & Wild JR (2000) Allosteric signal transmission involves synergy between discrete structural units of the regulatory subunit of aspartate transcarbamoylase. Arch Biochem Biophys 373: 352-60
  11. Wales ME, Madison LL, Glaser SS & Wild JR (1999) Divergent allosteric patterns verify the regulatory paradigm for aspartate transcarbamylase. J Mol Biol 294: 1387-400
  12. Russell RJ, Pishko MV, Simonian AL & Wild JR (1999) Poly(ethylene glycol) hydrogel-encapsulated fluorophore-enzyme conjugates for direct detection of organophosphorus neurotoxins. Anal Chem 71: 4909-12
  13. Di Sioudi BD, Miller CE, Lai K, Grimsley JK & Wild JR (1999) Rational design of organophosphorus hydrolase for altered substrate specificities. Chem Biol Interact 119-120: 211-23
  14. Zhang Y, Autenrieth RL, Bonner JS, Harvey SP & Wild JR (1999) Biodegradation of neutralized sarin. Biotechnol Bioeng 64: 221-31
  15. diSioudi B, Grimsley JK, Lai K & Wild JR (1999) Modification of near active site residues in organophosphorus hydrolase reduces metal stoichiometry and alters substrate specificity. Biochemistry 38: 2866-72
  16. Liu L, Wales ME & Wild JR (1998) Temperature effects on the allosteric responses of native and chimeric aspartate transcarbamoylases. J Mol Biol 282: 891-901
  17. Kalafut T, Wales ME, Rastogi VK, Naumova RP, Zaripova SK & Wild JR (1998) Biotransformation patterns of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene by aerobic bacteria. Curr Microbiol 36: 45-54
  18. Grimsley JK, Scholtz JM, Pace CN & Wild JR (1997) Organophosphorus hydrolase is a remarkably stable enzyme that unfolds through a homodimeric intermediate. Biochemistry 36: 14366-74
  19. Liu L, Wales ME & Wild JR (1997) Conversion of the allosteric regulatory patterns of aspartate transcarbamoylase by exchange of a single beta-strand between diverged regulatory chains. Biochemistry 36: 3126-32
  20. Simonian AL, Rainina EI, Fitzpatrick PF & Wild JR (1997) A tryptophan-2-monooxygenase based amperometric biosensor for L-tryptophan determination: use of a competitive inhibitor as a tool for selectivity increase. Biosens Bioelectron 12: 363-71
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