Research Funding

  • 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

  1. Karimi HZ, Chen KE, Karinshak M, Gu X, Sello JK, Vierstra RD. Proteasomes accumulate in the plant apoplast where they participate in microbe-associated molecular pattern (MAMP)-triggered pathogen defense. Nat Commun. 2025 Feb 14; 16(1):1634.  View on PubMed
  2. Fei F, Lun S, Saxena A, Raghavan M, DeRisi JL, Bishai WR, Sello JK. Total Syntheses of Cyclomarin and Metamarin Natural Products. Org Lett. 2024 Nov 15; 26(45):9698-9703.  View on PubMed
  3. McCarroll MN, Sisko E, Gong JH, Teng J, Taylor J, Myers-Turnbull D, Young D, Burley G, Pierce LX, Hibbs RE, Kokel D, Sello JK. A Multimodal, In Vivo Approach for Assessing Structurally and Phenotypically Related Neuroactive Molecules. ACS Chem Neurosci. 2024 11 20; 15(22):4171-4184.  View on PubMed
  4. 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.  View on PubMed
  5. 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.  View on PubMed
  6. 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.  View on PubMed
  7. 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.  View on PubMed
  8. 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.  View on PubMed
  9. 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.  View on PubMed
  10. 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.  View on PubMed
  11. 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.  View on PubMed
  12. 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.  View on PubMed
  13. 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.  View on PubMed
  14. 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.  View on PubMed
  15. 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.  View on PubMed
  16. 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.  View on PubMed
  17. 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.  View on PubMed
  18. 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.  View on PubMed
  19. 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.  View on PubMed
  20. 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.  View on PubMed

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