The SUNY Center for Applied Microbiology was established July 1, 2004, through a generous donation by Dr. Chin Yang. The Center continues to function and provide funding for academic research in the broad arena of applied microbiology. The funds are managed through the ESF College Foundation, Inc. and provide support for graduate students, faculty and modest equipment needs.
The Center now consists of three faculty members: Dr. James Nakas (Director); Dr. Chun Wang (Professor Emeritus) and Dr. Susan Anagnost; one visiting scientist, Dr. Edson Setliff (Emeritus); one post-doc, Dr. Tom Keenan (working with Dr. Nakas); one technician, Mr. Joseph Perotta (working with Dr. Nakas); and two graduate students, Ms. Shuang Zhou (working with Dr. Anagnost as Major Professor) and Ms. Erin Aungier-Markoff (working with Dr. Nakas as Major Professor).
TOPCurrent Research
Current research is directed toward the revival and maintenance of fungal cultures, mostly basidiomycetes for the EPA-funded project under the direction of Drs. Anagnost, Setliff, and Wang. Mr. Jason Oliver is assisting with this project. These cultures are also being screened for active laccase producers in conjunction with Dr. Nakas who has had a long-standing interest in the use of laccase for the removal of aromatic pollutants.
Dr. Nakas continues his work on biodegradable thermoplastics (with Dr. Tanenbaum). The purpose of this research is to achieve synthesis of these polymers,(polyhydroxyalkanoates, totally from wood-based feedstocks which include xylan and levulinic acid, both of which can be generated by the wood products industry. In addition, Dr. Nakas has a project for the production of hydrogen using photosynthetic bacteria grown on acetate (as the principal carbon source) derived from an autohydrolysate of the xylan component of wood.
Lastly, Dr. Setliff has discovered the production of a crystalline compound produced by culture 104B-170 (not yet identified) which may be similar to a waxy compound previously identified from Chondrostereum purpureum which may function as a spore germination inhibitor. If confirmed, this exciting observation will be further examined and the crystalline compound will be identified and characterized.
Dr. Setliff is also involved in examining fungal cultures as part of an EPA-funded allergy/asthma study. As part of an initial screening, cultures having the appearance of basidiomycetes, as well as some pale colored Deuteromycetes, were selected for culturing onto malt extract agar in petri dishes. The mycelia are being tested with the phenolic reagents napthol and cresol for the presence of laccase and tyrosinase enzymes, respectively. This chemical test indicates their capacity to cause white rot decay and may indicate their taxonomy as being members of holobadisiomycetes. Additional studies with certain Ascomycetes associated with white rot decay, viz. Hypoxylon, Xylaria, Daldinia, Ustulina, etc. and some Fungi Imperfecti are needed to confirm the limitations of this experimental approach. Also, macroscopic features and microscopic analysis of cultural morphology are being used for identification purposes. Special attention is dedicated to cultures with interesting features such as unusual crystals and basidiocarp formation.
TOPPatents
Keenan, T.M., S.W. Tanenbaum and J.P. Nakas. Bioconversion of xylan and levulinic acid to biodegradable thermoplastics, Patent Pending, US Patent and Trademark Office.
TOPPresentations (Invited)
Invited Speaker (Nakas): West Chester University, Biology Dept., West Chester, PA.
Title: Bioconversion of xylose and levulinic acid to biodegradable thermoplastics.
Attendance: 50-100 (approx.).
Invited Speaker (Nakas): Rochester Institute of Technology, Biotechnology Division.
Title: Production and characterization of polyhydroxyalkanoates from xylan and levulinic acid.
Attendance: 50-100 (approx.).
Invited Speaker (Nakas): Natural Resources Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Division of Energy Mines and Resources.
Title: Production of biodegradable thermoplastics from wood-based feedstocks.
Attendance: 20 (approx.).
Invited Speaker (Anagnost): Seminar on “Mold: Risk, Rights, and Remedies” sponsored by O’Brien and Gere Engineers, Inc. and
the Young Agency, Syracuse, NY.
Title: Mold’s Impact on Building and Structural Materials.
Attendance: 60 (approx.).
Invited Speaker (Anagnost): Central New York Chapter, Air and Waste Management Association, presented at the Air and Waste
Management Workshop, Syracuse, NY.
Title: Fungi and Molds.
Attendance: 30 (approx.).
Presentations (National Meetings)
Keenan, T.M., S.W. Tanenbaum and J.P. Nakas. 2005. Poly-B-hydroxyalkanoate copolymers from Burkholderia cepacia utilizing renewable forestry-based substrates, 27th Symposium on Biotechnology for Fuels and Chemicals, Denver, CO, May 1-4.
Keenan, T.M., S.W. Tanenbaum and J.P. Nakas. 2005. Poly-hydroxyalkanoate production from maple hydrolysate, Am. Inst. Chem. Eng., Spring Nat. Meeting, Atlanta, GA, April 10-14.
Rosenbaum, P.F., T.M. Hargrave J.L. Abraham, J.A. Crawford, A. Hunt, C. Liu, G. Hall, S.E. Anagnost, C. Catranais, A.A. Fernando, S.R. Morey, S. Zhou and C.J.K. Wang. Indoor mold and the risk of wheeze in the first year of life for infants at risk of asthma. American Journal Epidemiology 161(11):134. Presented at the Society for Pediatric & Perinatal Epidemiology and the Society of Epidemiologic Research Meetings, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, June 2005.
Anagnost, S.E., S. Zhou, C.J.K. Wang, W.B. Smith and D.M. Roberts. 2004. Fungi inhabiting southern pine utility poles during manufacture. Proceedings Northeast Utility Pole Conference, October 26-27, Binghamton, NY.
Anagnost, S.E., C.M. Catranis, C.J.K. Wang, L. Zhang, A. Fernando, S. Morey, P. DeStefano, C. Garback, M. LaMoy, G. Hall, J.A. Crawford, D. Naishadham, A. Hunt and J.L. Abraham. 2004. Survey of Fungi Found in Syracuse AUDIT Study Homes. Abstract and Poster Presentation at the Center of Excellence in Environmental Systems Symposium, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, October 25-26, 2004.
Abraham, J.L., J.A. Crawford, G. Hall, T. Hargrave, A. Hunt, S.D. Lane, C. Liu, D. Naishadham, P. Rosenbaum and S.E. Anagnost. 2004. The Syracuse AUDIT Study: Risk Factors for Wheeze in the First Year of Life: Study Design, Characteristics, Range of Exposures, and Preliminary Analysis of Outcomes. Abstract and Poster Presentation at the Center of Excellence in Environmental Systems Symposium, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, October 25&26, 2004.
TOPPublications (Submitted)
Makkonen, H.P. and J.P. Nakas. 2005. Use of xylanase and arabinofuranosidase for removal of arabinose from unbleached Kraft pulp. Submitted to Biotechnology Letters, May, 2005 (accepted for publication).
Catranis, C.M., S.E. Anagnost, L. Zhang, A. Fernando, S. Morey, S. Zhou and C.J.K Wang. A new sub-sampling method for estimating total colony forming units per cubic meter. Submitted to Aerobiologia, March 2005.
Anagnost, S.E., S. Zhou, C.J.K. Wang, W.B. Smith and D.M. Roberts. Fungi inhabiting southern pine utility poles during manufacture. Accepted June 2004, Forest Products Journal.
TOPPublications (2004-2005)
Bamberg, K.M, W.T. Winter and J.P. Nakas. 2004. Removal of lead and cadmium by derivatized polysaccharides from Klebsiella oxytoca. Biofilms 1:57-63
Keenan, T.M., S.W. Tanenbaum and A.J. Stipanovic. 2004. Production and characterization of poly-B-hydroxyalkanoate copolymers from Burkholderia cepacia utilizing xylose and levulinic acid. Biotechnol. Prog. 20:1697-2004. Gitsov, I., K. Lambrych, P. Lu, J.P. Nakas, J. Ryan and S.W. Tanenbaum. 2005. Nondestructive regio selective modification of laccase by linear-dendritic copolymers: enhanced oxidation of benzo-a-pyrene in water. Am. Chem. Soc. Sym. Ser. 900:80-94. Keenan, T.M., S.W. Tanenbaum and J.P. Nakas. 2005. Biodegradable polymers from renewable forest resources, pp. 219-250, In: Biodegradable Polymers for Industrial Applications, Woodhead Publishing Ltd., Cambridge, UK. Keenan, T.M., S.W. Tanenbaum and J.P. Nakas. 2005. Microbial production of polyhydroxyalkanoates from forestry-based substrates. Am. Chem. Soc. Sym. Ser.: Feedstocks for the future: renewables for the production of chemicals and materials (accepted for publication). Fernando, A.A., S.E Anagnost, S. Zhou, S.R. Morey and C.J.K. Wang. 2005. Noteworthy fungi from air samples. Mycotaxon 92:322-338. Catranis, C.M., S.E. Anagnost, A. Fenerando, S. Morey, C.J.K. Wang, P. Destefano, C. Garback, M. LaMoy, G. Hall, D. Naishadham, J. Crawford, A. Hunt and J.L. Abraham. 2005. Assessment of Exposure to Indoor Environmental Factors for an Infant Cohort at Risk for Asthma. In: Bioaerosols, Fungi, Bacteria, Mycotoxins and Human Health, Editor, E. Johanning. Fungal Research Group Foundation, Inc., Albany, NY. pp.40-48.
