Assistant Professor, UAB Heersink School of Medicine
654 Bevill Biomedical Research Building
(205) 934-6293
Research and Teaching Interests: Interested in how bacteria respond to reactive chlorine species (RCS) and the role that those responses may play in host-microbe interactions.
Education:
- Ph.D., Microbiology; University of Wisconsin – Madison, Madison, WI, 2010
Thesis – Synthesis, remodeling, and salvaging of the lower ligand of coenzyme B12 - M.S., Food Science; University of California – Davis, Davis, CA, 2001
Thesis - The NarX histidine kinase of Escherichia coli; the central domain and ligand-responsive autophosphorylation - B.S., Food Science; Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 1999
I am interested in how bacteria respond to reactive chlorine species (RCS) and the role that those responses may play in host-microbe interactions. This has led to several ongoing lines of research:
- Characterizing RCS-specific gene regulation
- Exploring the role and regulation of inorganic polyphosphate in response to stress
- Examining oxidative stress responses in symbiotic gut microbes
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Lab Publications
2018
Nicholas Yoo, Siddhant Dogra, Ben A. Meinen, Eric Tse, Janine Haefliger, Daniel R. Southworth, Michael J.Gray, Jan-Ulrik Dahl, UrsulaJakob. Polyphosphate Stabilizes Protein Unfolding Intermediates as Soluble Amyloid-like Oligomers Journal of Molecular Biology 2018 (), S0022-2836(18)30625-9
Rudat, A.K., Pokhrel, A., Green, T.J., and Gray, M.J. Mutations in Escherichia coli polyphosphate kinase that lead to dramatically increased in vivo polyphosphate levels Journal of Bacteriology 2018 200(6), e00697-17
2017
Dahl, J.-U., Gray, M.J., Bazopoulou, D., Beaufay, F., Lempart, J., Koenigsknecht, M.J., Wang, Y., Baker, J.R., Hasler, W.L., Sun, D., and Jakob, U. The anti-inflammatory drug mesalamine targets bacterial polyphosphate accumulation. Nature Microbiology 2017 (),
2016
Docter. B.E., Horowitz, S., Gray, M.J., Jakob, U., and Bardwell, J.C.A. Do nucleic acids moonlight as molecular chaperones? Nucleic Acids Research 2016 (),
2015
Gray, M.J.*, Li, Y.*, Leichert, L.I.O., Xu, Z., and Jakob, U.. Does the Transcription Factor NemR Use a Regulatory Sulfenamide Bond to Sense Bleach? Antioxidants & Redox Signaling 2015 23(9), 747-754
Dahl JU, Gray MJ, Jakob U. Protein quality control under oxidative stress conditions. J. Mol. Biol. 2015 427(7), 1549-63
Gray MJ, Jakob U. Oxidative stress protection by polyphosphate--new roles for an old player. Curr. Opin. Microbiol. 2015 24(), 6-Jan
2014
Knoefler D, Leichert LI, Thamsen M, Cremers CM, Reichmann D, Gray MJ, Wholey WY, Jakob U. About the dangers, costs and benefits of living an aerobic lifestyle. Biochem. Soc. Trans. 2014 42(4), 917-21
Gray MJ, Wholey WY, Wagner NO, Cremers CM, Mueller-Schickert A, Hock NT, Krieger AG, Smith EM, Bender RA, Bardwell JC, Jakob U. Polyphosphate is a primordial chaperone. Mol. Cell 2014 53(5), 689-99
2013
Parker BW, Schwessinger EA, Jakob U, Gray MJ. The RclR protein is a reactive chlorine-specific transcription factor in Escherichia coli. J. Biol. Chem. 2013 288(45), 32574-84
Gray MJ, Wholey WY, Jakob U. Bacterial responses to reactive chlorine species. Annu. Rev. Microbiol. 2013 67(), 141-60
Gray MJ, Wholey WY, Parker BW, Kim M, Jakob U. NemR is a bleach-sensing transcription factor. J. Biol. Chem. 2013 288(19), 13789-98
2010
Gray MJ, Escalante-Semerena JC. A new pathway for the synthesis of α-ribazole-phosphate in Listeria innocua. Mol. Microbiol. 2010 77(6), 1429-38
2009
Gray MJ, Escalante-Semerena JC. The cobinamide amidohydrolase (cobyric acid-forming) CbiZ enzyme: a critical activity of the cobamide remodelling system of Rhodobacter sphaeroides. Mol. Microbiol. 2009 74(5), 1198-210
Gray MJ, Escalante-Semerena JC. In vivo analysis of cobinamide salvaging in Rhodobacter sphaeroides strain 2.4.1. J. Bacteriol. 2009 191(12), 3842-51
2008
Gray MJ, Tavares NK, Escalante-Semerena JC. The genome of Rhodobacter sphaeroides strain 2.4.1 encodes functional cobinamide salvaging systems of archaeal and bacterial origins. Mol. Microbiol. 2008 70(4), 824-36
Noriega CE, Schmidt R, Gray MJ, Chen LL, Stewart V. Autophosphorylation and dephosphorylation by soluble forms of the nitrate-responsive sensors NarX and NarQ from Escherichia coli K-12. J. Bacteriol. 2008 190(11), 3869-76
2007
Gray MJ, Escalante-Semerena JC. Single-enzyme conversion of FMNH2 to 5,6-dimethylbenzimidazole, the lower ligand of B12. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 2007 104(8), 2921-6
2006
Gray MJ, Freitag NE, Boor KJ. How the bacterial pathogen Listeria monocytogenes mediates the switch from environmental Dr. Jekyll to pathogenic Mr. Hyde. Infect. Immun. 2006 74(5), 2505-12
Chen Y, Ross WH, Gray MJ, Wiedmann M, Whiting RC, Scott VN. Attributing risk to Listeria monocytogenes subgroups: dose response in relation to genetic lineages. J. Food Prot. 2006 69(2), 335-44
2005
Sasahara KC, Gray MJ, Shin SJ, Boor KJ. Detection of viable Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis using luciferase reporter systems. Foodborne Pathog. Dis. 2005 1(4), 258-66
2004
Gray MJ, Zadoks RN, Fortes ED, Dogan B, Cai S, Chen Y, Scott VN, Gombas DE, Boor KJ, Wiedmann M. Listeria monocytogenes isolates from foods and humans form distinct but overlapping populations. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 2004 70(10), 5833-41