Thomas P. Mawhinney

Associate Professor of Biochemistry

Email:	mawhinneyt@missouri.edu
Phone:	(573) 882-2608
Fax:	(573) 884-4631
Office:	4 Agriculture Building
Mailing Address:	Biochemistry 4 Agriculture Building University of Missouri-Columbia Columbia, MO 65211
Research Areas:	Carbohydrates in cancer and bacterial infection; cancer prevention and treatment; host-pathogen interactions in cystic fibrosis; analytical methodologies.

Educational Background

BS		Fairleigh Dickenson University	Teaneck, N.J.	Biochemistry
PhD		Union University, Albany Medical Center	Albany, N.Y.	Molecular Biology and Forensic Pathology

Notable Honors and Service

Director, Analytical Services, Agricultural Experiment Station Chemical Laboratories
State Chemist of Missouri
Director, Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry Facility
American Oil Chemists' Society (AOCS) Approved Chemist in Laboratory Proficiency Program
University of Missouri School of Medicine Curriculum Board Teaching Excellence Award -
Outstanding Pre-Clinical Instructor 2007
Excellence in Education, Advanced Medical Biochemistry,
Medical Students Affairs Council, University of Missouri

Research Description

Research in our laboratories focuses on a number of interrelated topics. In the area of exocrine defense mechanisms, with special emphasis on chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases in man, a sizable effort has been trained on developing a better understanding of mucous glycoproteins as a primary and secondary macromolecular defense response against lung pathogens and irritants. Structural elucidation is yielding significant insight into altered post-translational modifications of the side chain oligosaccharides from these molecules. With structural elucidation of respiratory mucins via classical chemical methodology, and techniques involving lectins, 500 MHZ ¹H-NMR and ¹³C-NMR, and fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry (FAB-MS), we have demonstrated significant increases in glycoprotein sulfation and anionicity, that parallel the severity of the respiratory disease and its chronicity. These findings are particularly pronounced in patients with the genetic disorder known as cystic fibrosis.

Ongoing research, with particular emphasis in modified carbohydrates, focuses our analytical capabilities and chemical expertise on the discovery of structure-function relationships, in human and plant health and disease. In-house tools applied include eukaryotic and microbiological cell culture, fluorescence microscopy, polarimetry, optical emission spectrometry (inductively coupled plasma spectrometry, ICP), gas chromatography (GC), high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and mass spectrometry (MS). Instruments online this year will include ICP, triple quadrupole GC-MS with mass range capabilities up to 1500 amu, electrospray interfaced LC-ion trap MS with Orbitrap accurate mass detection. Combined with the use of campus facilities for x-ray crystallography, NMR, microarrays, laboratory animal medicine, and electron microscopy, our laboratory and collaborators seek to integrate visual, biological, genetic, and chemical data in the discovery process for better understanding human health and disease.

Integrated within the Agriculture Experiment Station Chemical Laboratories, we also strive to improve methods available for compositional analysis of foods, feeds, supplements, fertilizers, and biological specimens.

Current research projects include:

host glycoprotein alterations and host-pathogen interactions in chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases.
co-colonization effects on microorganisms in cystic fibrosis airway infection
neutraceuticals
inhibitory effects of amadori compounds and food products in prostate cancer
X-ray crystal structural characterization of synthesized amadori compounds
food, feed, and biological materials analytical methods development

Selected Publications

Mossine, Valeri V.; and Mawhinney, Thomas P. Nα-(1-Deoxy-D-fructos-1-yl)-L-histidine ("D-Fructose-L-histidine"): a Potent Copper Chelator from Tomato Powder. J. Agric. Food Chem., 55:10373-10381(2007).

Johnson, Kim D.; Glinskii, Olga V.; Mossine, Valeri V.; Turk, James R.; Mawhinney, Thomas P.; Anthony, Douglas C.; Henry, Carolyn J.; Huxley, Virginia H.; Glinsky, Gennadi V.; Pienta, Kenneth J.; Raz, Avraham; and Glinsky, Vladislav V. Galectin-3 as a potential therapeutic target in tumors arising from malignant endothelia. Neoplasia (2007), 9(8), 662-670.

Mawhinney, Thomas P.; Chance, Deborah L.; Mossine, Valerie V.; Cassity, Nancy A.; and Waters, James K., Use of isomeric butyl ketoximes in the identification of isomeric fructosylamino acids by gas-liquid chromatography/triple quadrupole mass spectrometry, Proceedings of the 55th ASMS Conference on Mass Spectrometry and Allied Topics, Indianapolis, IN, June 3-7, 2007, ThPQ

Chance, Deborah L.; and Mawhinney, Thomas P. Using TEM of Sputum and Sputum Outgrowths to Study Co-colonization in Cystic Fibrosis, Annual North American Cystic Fibrosis Conference, Pediatric Pulmonology (2006), Volume 41, Issue S29, Abstr. 334.

Mawhinney, T.P. and Chance, Deborah L. Structural analysis of sulfated oligosaccharides possessing (α1-2)-fucosyl residues derived from cystic fibrosis tracheobronchial mucous glycoproteins, in Current Advances in Carbohydrate Research, S.G. Pandalai, Ed., TRN, Kerala, 2005, 2:67-92.

Mawhinney, Thomas P.; Chance, Deborah L.; Waters, James K.; Mossine, Valeri V.; He, Shao Hua.; and Cassity, Nancy A. Characterization of blood group antigen-containing oligosaccharides isolated from human respiratory mucous glycoproteins, in Current Advances in Carbohydrate Research, S.G. Pandalai, Ed., TRN, Kerala, 2003, 1:1-25.

Mahmoud, Ahmed A.; Natarajan, Savithiry S.; Bennett, John O.; Mawhinney, Thomas P.; Wiebold, William J.; and Krishnan, Hari B. Effect of six decades of selective breeding on soybean protein composition and quality: A biochemical and molecular analysis. J. Agric. Food Chem. (2006) 54(11):3916-3922.

Employment Opportunities

Post-Doctoral Opportunities

Electronic submission is encouraged, e-mail to biochemsearch@missouri.edu

Applicants should send CV and names of two references to:
Dr. Thomas Mawhinney
Postdoctoral Application
Biochemistry
4 Agriculture Building
University of Missouri-Columbia
Columbia, MO 65211

Carbohydrates in cancer and bacterial infection; cancer prevention and treatment; host-pathogen interactions in cystic fibrosis; analytical methodologies.