Benfang Lei, Assistant Professor

Veterinary Molecular Biology P.O. Box 173610 Montana State University Bozeman, MT 59717 (406) 994-6389 blei@montana.edu

Research Interests

Research in my laboratory focuses on pathogenic and therapeutic studies on bacterial pathogens Streptococcus pyogenes and Streptococcus equi. Streptococcus pyogenes is a major human pathogen causing a variety of diseases, including pharyngitis, scarlet fever, necrotizing faciitis, streptococcal toxic shock syndrome, and post-infection sequelae such as acute rheumatic fever, rheumatic heart disease, and glomerulonephritis. Streptococcus equi is the causative agent of horse disease strangles. My long-term objectives are to identify and study novel virulence factors and new therapeutic targets among extracellular proteins made by S. pyogenes and S. equi using multidisciplinary approaches, including bioinformatic, biochemical, immunological, serological, and genetic methodologies, as well as, mouse infection models.

Education

• Ph.D. University of Houston, Biochemistry, 1993
• M.S. University of Texas at El Paso, Chemistry, 1989
• M.S. Beijing Institute of Chemical Technology, Chemistry, 1985
• B.S. Wuhan University, Chemistry, 1982

Professional Experience

• 2003-present Assistant Professor, Veterinary Molecular Biology, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana
• 1999-2003 Research Fellow, Laboratory of Human Bacterial Pathogenesis, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health
• 1995-1999 Research Assistant Professor, University of Houston
• 1994 Post-Doctoral Scientist, Sennes Drug Innovations, Inc.
• 1985-1988 Research Associate, Institute of Photographic Chemistry, Academia Sinica

Extramural Grant Activity

• 2004-2006  NIH Career Transition Award
• 2004-2006  USDA NRI Seed Grant
• 2004-2009  NIH COBRE Program (Project Leader)
• 2006-2008  NIH RMRCE Developmental Research Project Award

• 2006-2008  Montana Board of Research & Commercialization Technology Grant

• 2007-2010  USDA NRI Competitive Research Grant

Selected Publications

1. Lei, B., Wang, H., Yu, Y., & Tu S. C. 2005. Redox potential and equilibria in the reductive half-reaction of Vibrio harveyi NADPH-FMN oxidoreductase. Biochemistry 44:261-267.
2. Liu, M., & Lei, B. Heme transfer from streptococcal cell-surface protein Shp to HtsA of transporter HtsABC. Infect. Immun. 73:5086-5092.
3. Hanks, T. S., Liu, M., McClure, M.J., & Lei, B. 2005. ABC transporter FtsABCD of Streptococcus pyogenes mediates uptake of ferric ferrichrome. BMC Microbiology 5:62.
4. Liu, M., Hanks, T.S., Zhang, J., McClure, M. J., Siemsen, D.W., Elser, J.L., Quinn, M.T., & Lei, B. 2006.  Defects in ex vivo and in vivo growth and sensitivity to osmotic stress of group A streptococcus caused by interruption of response regulator gene vicR, Microbiology 152:967-978.
5. Nygaard, T. K., Blouin, G., Liu, M., Fukumura, M., Olson, J. S., Fabian, M., Dooley, D. M., & Lei, B. 2006. The mechanism of direct heme transfer from the streptococcal cell surface protein Shp to HtsA of the HtsABC transporter. J. Biol. Chem. 281:20761-20771.
6. Hanks, T. S., Liu, M., McClure, M. J., Fukumura, M., Duffy, A., & Lei, B. 2006. Differential regulation of iron/manganese-specific MtsABC and heme-specific HtsABC transporters by metalloregulator MtsR of group A Streptococcus. Infect. Immun. 74:5132-5139.
7. Nygaard, T. K, Liu, M., McClure, M. J., & Lei, B. 2006. Identification and characterization of the heme-binding proteins SeShp and SeHtsA of Streptococcus equi subspecies equi. BMC Microbiol. 6:82.
8. Liu, M., H. Zhu, J. Zhang, & B. Lei. 2007. Active and passive immunizations with the streptococcal esterase Sse protect mice against subcutaneous infection with group A streptococci. Infect. Immun. 75:3651-3657.
9. Ran, Y., Zhu, H., Liu, M., Fabian, M., Olson, J. S., Aranda, R., Phillips, G. N., Dooley, D. M., and Lei, B. 2007. Bis-methionine ligation to heme iron in the streptococcal cell surface protein Shp facilitates rapid hemin transfer to HtsA of the HtsABC transporter. J. Biol. Chem.282:31380-31388.
10. Aranda IV, R., Worley, C. E., Liu, M., Bitto, E., Cates, M. S., Olson, J. S., B. Lei, and Phillips, G. N. Jr. 2007. Bis-methionyl coordination in the crystal structure of the heme-binding domain of the streptococcal cell surface protein Shp. J. Mol. Biol. 374:374-383
11. Liu, M., Tanaka, W. N., Zhu, H., Xie, G., Dooley, D.M., and Lei, B. 2008. Direct hemin transfer from IsdA to IsdC in the Isd heme acquisition system of Staphylococcus aureus. J. Biol. Chem. 283:6668-6676.
12. Zhu, H., Liu, M., and Lei, B. 2008. The surface protein Shr of Streptococcus pyogenes binds heme and transfers it to the streptococcal heme-binding protein Shp. BMC Microbiol. 8:15.
13. Zhu, H., Xie, G., Liu, M., Olson, J. S., Fabian, M., Dooley, D. M., and Lei, B. 2008. Pathway for Heme Uptake from Human Methemoglobin by the Iron-Regulated Surface Determinants (Isd) System of Staphylococcus aureus J. Biol. Chem. 283:18450-18460.
14. Liu, M., McClure, M. J., Zhu, H., Xie, G., and Lei, B. 2008. The two-component regulatory system VicRK is important to virulence of Streptococcus equi subspecies equi. Open Microbiol. J. 2:89-93.
15. Xie, G., Liu, M., Zhu, H., Lei, B. 2008. Esterase SeE of Streptococcus equi ssp. equi is a novel non-specific carboxylic ester hydrolase. FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 289:181-186.
16. Olsen, R. J., Sitkiewicz, I., Ayeras, A. A., Beres, S. B., Green, N. M., Lei, B., Blasdel, T. L., Humbird, T., Cagle, P. T., Chang, E., Ragasa, W. P., Montgomery, C. A., Cartwright, J. Jr5, McGeer, A., Low, D. E., Whitney, A. R., DeLeo, F. R., Musser, J. M. 2009. Decreased group A Streptococcus necrotizing fasciitis capacity caused by dysregulation of the mtsR-prsA-speB axis. J. Clin. Invest., In press.
17. King, Q., Lei, B., &Harmsen, A. 2009. Pneumococcal surface protein A contributes to secondary streptococcus pneumonia infection following influenza infection. J. Infect. Dis., In press.

Return to regular view	Text-only	Updated: 06/17/2009