January 1, 1998 - February 29, 2024 - Maximizing Opportunities for Research Excellence , Co-Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R25GM056847
September 25, 2017 - August 31, 2022 - Studies of the antibacterial activity of and resistance to molecules targeting the ClpP peptidase , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01AI123400
Education
07/2006 - Bacterial Genetics, John Innes Centre
4/2004 - Enzymology, Harvard Medical School
06/2002 - Biophysics, Harvard University
B.S., 05/1997 - Biology, Morehouse College
Honors & Awards
2019
Chan-Zuckerberg BioHub Investigator
2014
Inaugural Lecture of the National Organization of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCCHE) at the University of Pennsylvania
2013
M. L. K., Jr. Visiting Professor of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2011
National Science Foundation CAREER Award
2003
Burroughs Wellcome Fund Career Award at the Scientific Interface
2000
Certificate of Distinction in Teaching, Harvard University
1998
Glaxo-Wellcome-UNCF Scientific Achievement Award
Selected Publications
Alabi PE, Gautier C, Murphy TP, Gu X, Lepas M, Aimanianda V, Sello JK, Ene IV. Small molecules restore azole activity against drug-tolerant and drug-resistant Candida isolates. mBio. 2023 08 31; 14(4):e0047923.
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Wang S, Li Z, Aispuro D, Guevara N, Van Valkenburgh J, Chen B, Zhou X, McCarroll MN, Ji F, Cong X, Sarkar P, Chaudhuri R, Guo Z, Perkins NP, Shao S, Sello JK, Chen K, Xue M. Hydroxyl-Rich Hydrophilic Endocytosis-Promoting Peptide with No Positive Charge. J Am Chem Soc. 2022 11 09; 144(44):20288-20297.
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Schmitz KR, Handy EL, Compton CL, Gupta S, Bishai WR, Sauer RT, Sello JK. Acyldepsipeptide Antibiotics and a Bioactive Fragment Thereof Differentially Perturb Mycobacterium tuberculosis ClpXP1P2 Activity in Vitro. ACS Chem Biol. 2023 04 21; 18(4):724-733.
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Craig E, Calarco A, Conte R, Ambrogi V, d'Ayala GG, Alabi P, Sello JK, Cerruti P, Kima PE. Thermoresponsive Copolymer Nanovectors Improve the Bioavailability of Retrograde Inhibitors in the Treatment of Leishmania Infections. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2021; 11:702676.
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Priyamvada L, Alabi P, Leon A, Kumar A, Sambhara S, Olson VA, Sello JK, Satheshkumar PS. Discovery of Retro-1 Analogs Exhibiting Enhanced Anti-vaccinia Virus Activity. Front Microbiol. 2020; 11:603.
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Rosenstein JK, Rose C, Reda S, Weber PM, Kim E, Sello J, Geiser J, Kennedy E, Arcadia C, Dombroski A, Oakley K, Chen SL, Tann H, Rubenstein BM. Principles of Information Storage in Small-Molecule Mixtures. IEEE Trans Nanobioscience. 2020 07; 19(3):378-384.
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Arcadia CE, Kennedy E, Geiser J, Dombroski A, Oakley K, Chen SL, Sprague L, Ozmen M, Sello J, Weber PM, Reda S, Rose C, Kim E, Rubenstein BM, Rosenstein JK. Multicomponent molecular memory. Nat Commun. 2020 02 04; 11(1):691.
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Morgens DW, Chan C, Kane AJ, Weir NR, Li A, Dubreuil MM, Tsui CK, Hess GT, Lavertu A, Han K, Polyakov N, Zhou J, Handy EL, Alabi P, Dombroski A, Yao D, Altman RB, Sello JK, Denic V, Bassik MC. Retro-2 protects cells from ricin toxicity by inhibiting ASNA1-mediated ER targeting and insertion of tail-anchored proteins. Elife. 2019 11 01; 8.
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Thorn RJ, Dombroski A, Eller K, Dominguez-Gonzalez TM, Clift DE, Baek P, Seto RJ, Kahn ES, Tucker SK, Colwill RM, Sello JK, Creton R. Analysis of vertebrate vision in a 384-well imaging system. Sci Rep. 2019 Sep 27; 9(1):13989.
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McCarroll MN, Gendelev L, Kinser R, Taylor J, Bruni G, Myers-Turnbull D, Helsell C, Carbajal A, Rinaldi C, Kang HJ, Gong JH, Sello JK, Tomita S, Peterson RT, Keiser MJ, Kokel D. Zebrafish behavioural profiling identifies GABA and serotonin receptor ligands related to sedation and paradoxical excitation. Nat Commun. 2019 09 09; 10(1):4078.
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Zhang R, Lord DM, Bajaj R, Peti W, Page R, Sello JK. A peculiar IclR family transcription factor regulates para-hydroxybenzoate catabolism in Streptomyces coelicolor. Nucleic Acids Res. 2018 02 16; 46(3):1501-1512.
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Craig E, Huyghues-Despointes CE, Yu C, Handy EL, Sello JK, Kima PE. Structurally optimized analogs of the retrograde trafficking inhibitor Retro-2cycl limit Leishmania infections. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2017 May; 11(5):e0005556.
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Totaro KA, Barthelme D, Simpson PT, Jiang X, Lin G, Nathan CF, Sauer RT, Sello JK. Rational Design of Selective and Bioactive Inhibitors of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis Proteasome. ACS Infect Dis. 2017 02 10; 3(2):176-181.
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Arvanitis M, Li G, Li DD, Cotnoir D, Ganley-Leal L, Carney DW, Sello JK, Mylonakis E. A Conformationally Constrained Cyclic Acyldepsipeptide Is Highly Effective in Mice Infected with Methicillin-Susceptible and -Resistant Staphylococcus aureus. PLoS One. 2016; 11(4):e0153912.
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Amor AJ, Schmitz KR, Sello JK, Baker TA, Sauer RT. Highly Dynamic Interactions Maintain Kinetic Stability of the ClpXP Protease During the ATP-Fueled Mechanical Cycle. ACS Chem Biol. 2016 06 17; 11(6):1552-1560.
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Carney DW, Schmitz KR, Scruse AC, Sauer RT, Sello JK. Examination of a Structural Model of Peptidomimicry by Cyclic Acyldepsipeptide Antibiotics in Their Interaction with the ClpP Peptidase. Chembiochem. 2015 Sep 07; 16(13):1875-1879.
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Totaro KA, Barthelme D, Simpson PT, Sauer RT, Sello JK. Substrate-guided optimization of the syringolins yields potent proteasome inhibitors with activity against leukemia cell lines. Bioorg Med Chem. 2015 Sep 15; 23(18):6218-22.
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Compton CL, Fernandopulle MS, Nagari RT, Sello JK. Genetic and Proteomic Analyses of Pupylation in Streptomyces coelicolor. J Bacteriol. 2015 Sep; 197(17):2747-53.
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Compton CL, Carney DW, Groomes PV, Sello JK. Fragment-Based Strategy for Investigating and Suppressing the Efflux of Bioactive Small Molecules. ACS Infect Dis. 2015 Jan 09; 1(1):53-8.
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Schmitz KR, Carney DW, Sello JK, Sauer RT. Crystal structure of Mycobacterium tuberculosis ClpP1P2 suggests a model for peptidase activation by AAA+ partner binding and substrate delivery. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2014 Oct 28; 111(43):E4587-95.
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