Ray Larsen

Research Interests:

Our laboratory is focused on the mechanisms of energy-coupling to transport events in the envelope of gram negative bacteria.  Current studies include:

• Structural requisites for energy transfer in the TonB system
• Determinants of host range specificity in phage that exploit active transport systems
• Mechanisms of bacterial toxin transmembrane transport
• And, for something completely different, evolution of beta-lactamase proteins in the soil microbiome.

Selected Publications:

Larsen, R.A. 2017.  Assessing energy-dependent protein conformational changes in the TonB system.  In:  Bacterial Secretion Systems.  E. Cascales , L. Journet (ed).  Springer Verlag.  Berlin.

Teleha, M.A., Miller, A.C., and Larsen, R.A.  2013.  Overexpression of the Escherichia coli TolQ protein leads to a null-FtsN-like division phenotype.  Microbiology Open 2:618-632.

Gresock, M. G., M. I. Savenkova, R. A. Larsen, A. A. Ollis, and K. Postle. 2011. Death of the TonB shuttle hypothesis. Front. Microbiol. 2: 1-8.

Brinkman, K.K., and R.A. Larsen. 2008. Interactions of the energy transducer TonB with noncognate energy-harvesting complexes. J. Bacteriol. 190: 421-427.

Weitzel, A.C., and R.A. Larsen. 2008. Differential complementation of ∆toA Escherichia coli by a Yersinia enterocolitica TolA homologue. FEMS Micro Lett 282: 81-88.