Judy D. Wall

Professor of Biochemistry

Email:	wallj@missouri.edu
Phone:	(573) 882-8726
Lab:	(573) 882-9771
Fax:	(573) 882-5635
Office:	214 Schweitzer Hall
Mailing Address:	Biochemistry 117 Schweitzer Hall University of Missouri-Columbia Columbia, MO 65211
Research Areas:	Environmental microbiology; bioremediation of toxic metal; genetics and biochemistry of sulfate-reducing bacteria.

Educational Background

BA		University of North Carolina	Greensboro, N.C.	Chemistry
PhD		Duke University	Durham, N.C.	Biochemistry

Notable Honors and Service

Fellow, American Academy for the Advancement of Science
Fellow, American Academy of Microbiology
Board of Governors, American Academy of Microbiology
Editor-in-Chief, Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 1995-01
American Society for Microbiology Chair/Elect & Chair Division K 1990-92
Editorial Boards
   Environmental Microbiology (2005-08)
   Journal of Bacteriology (1988-96; 2007-10)
   Applied and Environmental Microbiology (1992-93; 2003-09; Editor 1993-95)
   Annual Review of Microbiology (1997-2001)
   Omics (2002-08)
Conference Organization
   Organizer, 6th Annual Conference for the Molecular Biology Conference,
      Molecular Biology of Photosynthetic Prokaryotes, 1980
   Organizing Committee, International Symposium on Photosynthetic Prokaryotes,
      1988-94
   Gordon Research Conference on Applied and Environmental Microbiology,
      Co-Chair, 2001; Chair, 2003
   Co-Organizer, Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria Genome Sequencing Jamboree, 2003
   Member Working Group for EU-US Environmental Biotechnology Taskforce, 1994-present

Research Description

Have you ever come across a stagnant pool that smelled like rotten eggs when you disturbed it? Or, have you wondered why iron pipes corrode in soil? Both the smell and the corrosion are caused by the sulfate-reducing bacteria that derive energy not from oxygen, but from sulfate, which is reduced to hydrogen sulfide. Do these bacteria only cause problems? Probably not, because we believe they can assist bioremediation, the destruction of toxic contaminants in the environment. Since oxygen kills these bacteria, all work with them must be carried out in the absence of air. Obviously, none but the most committed (stubborn) would work with them.

We are investigating the genetics and metabolism of hydrogen, iron, and sulfate in these bacteria. Just how do they make energy and is hydrogen an important intermediate in their metabolism as well as a substrate? How do they corrode iron? Metallic iron can serve as reductant and the Fe²⁺ produced is water soluble, until it is irrevocably precipitated by the sulfide ions also produced by the bacteria. Are the bacteria caught in a vicious cycle of removing iron that they need for growth, by the sulfide that is produced during growth? Do they need an iron acquisition system to grow?

The laboratory is also looking at metabolism of toxic metals by these bacteria that may contribute to the bioremediation of contaminated soils and groundwater. These bacteria convert a soluble form of uranium to an insoluble form that precipitates from water. Can we understand how this occurs? Can we increase the rate that this happens? Is the insoluble form used or is it inert forever? Many questions drive the research. Our studies abound with Southerns, cloning, PCRs, transposons, and problems. What we need now is a little intelligent help in understanding these fascinating and challenging organisms.

Selected Publications

Hemme, C.L., and J.D. Wall. 2004 Genomic insights into the gene regulation of Desulfovibrio vulgaris Hildenborough. Omics 8:1-13.

Wall, J.D. 2004. Rain or shine—a phototroph that delivers. Nature Biotechnol. 22:40-41.

Payne, R.B., L.Casalot, T.Rivere, J.H. Terry, and J.D. Wall. 2004. Interaction between uranium and the cytochrome c₃ of Desulfovibrio desulfuricans strain G20. Arch. Microbiol. 181:398-406.

Payne, R.B., C.L. Hemme, and J.D. Wall. 2004. A new frontier in genomic research. World Pipelines 4:53-55.

Chhabra, S.R., He, Q., Huang, K.H., Gaucher, S.P., Alm, E.J., He, Z., Hadi, M.Z., Hazen, T.C., Wall, J.D., Zhou, J., Arkin, A.P. and A.K. Singh. 2006. Global Analysis of Heat Shock Response in Desulfovibrio vulgaris Hildenborough. J. Bacteriol. 188:1817-28.

Pattarkine, M.V., J.J. Tanner, C.A. Bottoms, Y.-H. Lee, and J.D. Wall. 2006. Desulfovibrio desulfuricans G20 tetraheme cytochrome structure at 1.5Å and cytochrome interaction with metal complexes. J. Mol. Biol. 358(5):1314-1327 .

Wall, J.D., and L.R. Krumholz 2006. Uranium reduction. Annu Rev Microbiol. 60:167-185.

Walker, C.B., S.S. Stolyar, N. Pinel, H.C.B. Yen, Z. He, J. Zhou, J.D. Wall, and D.A. Stahl. 2006. Recovery of temperate Desulfovibrio vulgaris bacteriophage using a novel host strain. Environ. Microbiol. 8:1950-1959.

Bender, K.S., H.C.B. Yen, C.L. Hemme, Z. Yang, Z. He, J. Zhou, K.H.Huang, E.J. Alm, T.C. Hazen, A.P. Arkin, and J.D. Wall. 2007. Analysis of a ferric uptake regulator (Fur) mutant of Desulfovibrio vulgaris Hildenborough. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 73: doi:10.1128/AEM.00276-07