Bentley Fane

Professor - School of Plant Sciences, BIO5, Department of Immunobiology, Genetics-GIDP, Applied Biosciences-GIDP
bfane@email.arizona.edu, 219 Keating Building
520-626-6634 / 520-621-8539 (Lab)

Educational Background

  • B.Sc., Russian Language and Literature, Brandeis University
  • Ph. D., Biology (Protein Folding), Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • Post-doctoral fellow, Virus Assembly, University of California, San Diego

Research Interests

  • Virus structure and morphogenesis
  • Virus and protein evolution

Selected Publications

Love SD, Posey S, Burch AD, Fane BA (2024) Disenfranchised DNA: biochemical analysis of mutant øX174 DNA binding proteins may further elucidate the evolutionary significance of the unessential packaging protein A*. Journal of Virology. 10.1128/jvi.01827-23. Editor's pick.
Ogunbunmi ET, Love SD, Rhodes KA, Morales A, Wilch MH, Jonas J, Fane BA. Low-Temperature Adaptation Targets Genome Packing Reactions in an Icosahedral Single-Stranded DNA Virus. J Virol. 2022 Apr 13;96(7):e0197021. doi: 10.1128/jvi.01970-21.
Lee H, Baxter AJ, Bator CM, Fane BA, Hafenstein SL. (2022) Cryo-EM Structure of Gokushovirus ΦEC6098 Reveals a Novel Capsid Architecture for a Single-Scaffolding Protein, Microvirus Assembly System. J Virol. 2022 Nov 9;96(21):e0099022. doi: 10.1128/jvi.00990-22. Journal cover.
Ogunbunmi ET, Roznowski AP, Fane BA. 2021. The Effects of Packaged, but Misguided, Single-Stranded DNA Genomes Are Transmitted to the Outer Surface of the øX174 Capsid. J Virol doi:10.1128/JVI.00883-21:JVI0088321.
Roznowski AP, Fisher JM, Fane BA. 2020. Mutagenic Analysis of a DNA Translocating Tube's Interior Surface. Viruses 12:10.3390/v12060670.
Roznowski AP, Doore, S. M., Kemp, S. Z., Fane, B. A. . 2020. Finally, a role befitting Astar: the strongly conserved, unessential microvirus A* proteins ensure the product fidelity of packaging reactions. Journal of Virology. J Virol 94. 10.1128/JVI.01593-19
Roznowski AP, Young RJ, Love SD, Andromita AA, Guzman VA, Wilch MH, Block A, McGill A, Lavelle M, Romanova A, Sekiguchi A, Wang M, Burch AD, Fane BA. 2019. Recessive Host Range Mutants and Unsusceptible Cells That Inactivate Virions without Genome Penetration: Ecological and Technical Implications. J Virol 93. 10.1128/JVI.01767-18.
Blackburn BJ, Li S, Roznowski AP, Perez AR, Villarreal RH, Johnson CJ, Hardy M, Tuckerman EC, Burch AD, Fane BA. 2017. Coat protein mutations that alter the flux of morphogenetic intermediates through the phiX174 early assembly pathway. J Virol 91: e01384-17.
Levin E, Lopez-Martinez G, Fane B, Davidowitz G. 2017. Hawkmoths use nectar sugar to reduce oxidative damage from flight. Science 355:733-735.
Cherwa JE, Jr., Tyson J, Bedwell GJ, Brooke D, Edwards AG, Dokland T, Prevelige PE, Fane BA. (2017) phiX174 procapsid assembly: the effects of an inhibitory external scaffolding protein and resistant coat proteins in vitro. J Virol. 91:e01878-16.
Sun Y, Roznowski AP, Tokuda JM, Klose T, Mauney A, Pollack L, Fane BA, Rossmann MG. 2017. Structural changes of tailless bacteriophage PhiX174 during penetration of bacterial cell walls. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 114:13708-13713.
Doore SM, Schweers NJ, Fane BA. 2017. Elevating fitness after a horizontal gene exchange in bacteriophage phiX174. Virology 501:25-34.
Roznowski AP, Fane BA. 2016. Structure-Function Analysis of the varphiX174 DNA-Piloting Protein Using Length-Altering Mutations. J Virol 90:7956-7966.
Doore SM, Fane BA. 2016. The microviridae: Diversity, assembly, and experimental evolution. Virology 491:45-55.
Doore SM, Fane BA (2015) The Kinetic and Thermodynamic Aftermath of Horizontal Gene Transfer Governs Evolutionary Recovery. Mol. Biol. Evol 32: 2571-84.
Sun L, Young LN, Zhang X, Boudko SP, Fokine A, Zbornik E, Roznowski AP, Moulineux I, Rossmann MG, Fane BA. 2014. Icosahedral øX174 forms a tail for DNA transport. Nature 505(7483):432-5.
Doore SM, Baird CD; 2012 University of Arizona Virology Undergraduate Lab, Roznowski AP, Fane BA (2014).The evolution of genes within genes and the control of DNA replication in microviruses. Mol Biol Evol. 31(6):1421-31.
Sun L, Rossmann MG, Fane BA (2014) High-resolution structure of a virally encoded DNA-translocating conduit and the mechanism of DNA penetration. J Virol. 88(18):10276-9.
Young LN, Hockenberry, Fane BA. 2014. Mutations in the N-terminus of the øX174 DNA pilot protein H confer both assembly and host cell attachment defects. Journal of Virology doi: 10.1128/JVI.03227-13. Epub ahead of print.
Gordon EB, Fane BA. 2013. The effects of an early conformational switch defect during øX174 morphogenesis are belatedly manifested late in the assembly pathway. J Virol 87: 2518-2525.
Gordon, E. B., C. J. Knuff, and B. A. Fane. 2012. Conformational Switch-Defective øX174 Internal Scaffolding Proteins Kinetically Trap Assembly Intermediates before Procapsid Formation. J Virol 86:9911-8.
Cherwa JE, Jr., Organtini LJ, Ashley RE, Hafenstein SL, Fane BA (2011) In Vitro Assembly of the øX174 Procapsid from External Scaffolding Protein Oligomers and Early Pentameric Assembly Intermediates. J Mol Biol 412: 387-396.
Cherwa JE, Jr., Fane BA (2011) From resistance to stimulation: the evolution of a virus in the presence of a dominant lethal inhibitory scaffolding protein. J Virol 85: 6589-6593.
Zlotnick A, Fane BA (2011) Mechanisms of Icosahedral Virus Assembly. In: Structural Virology. (eds. Mavis Agbandje-McKenna and Robert McKenna) Ch 10, 180-202 (Royal Society of Chemistry, London, 2011).
Cherwa JE, Jr., Young LN, Fane BA (2011) Uncoupling the functions of a multifunctional protein: the isolation of a DNA pilot protein mutant that affects particle morphogenesis. Virology 411: 9-14.
Ruboyianes MV, Chen M, Dubrava MS, Cherwa JE, Jr., Fane BA (2009) The expression of N-terminal deletion DNA pilot proteins inhibits the early stages of phiX174 replication. J Virol 83: 9952-9956.
Uchiyama A, Heiman P, Fane BA (2009) N-terminal deletions of the phiX174 external scaffolding protein affect the timing and fidelity of assembly. Virology 386: 303-309.
Cherwa JE, Jr., Fane BA (2009) Complete virion assembly with scaffolding proteins altered in the ability to perform a critical conformational switch. J Virol 83: 7391-7396.
Cherwa JE, Jr., Sanchez-Soria P, Members of the University of Arizona Virology Laboratory Course 2007, Wichman HA, Fane BA (2009) Viral adaptation to an antiviral protein enhances the fitness level to above that of the uninhibited wild type. J Virol 83: 11746-11750.
Salim O, Skilton RJ, Lambden PR, Fane BA, Clarke IN (2008) Behind the chlamydial cloak: the replication cycle of chlamydiaphage Chp2, revealed. Virology 377: 440-445.
Cherwa JE, Jr., Uchiyama A, Fane BA (2008) Scaffolding proteins altered in the ability to perform a conformational switch confer dominant lethal assembly defects. J Virol 82: 5774-5780.
Chen M, Uchiyama A, Fane BA (2007) Eliminating the requirement of an essential gene product in an already very small virus: scaffolding protein B-free øX174, B-free. J Mol Biol 373: 308-314.
Uchiyama A, Chen M, Fane BA (2007) Characterization and function of putative substrate specificity domain in microvirus external scaffolding proteins. J Virol 81: 8587-8592.
Fane BA, Brentlinger, K. L., Burch, A. D., Hafenstein, S. L., Moore, E., Novak, C. R. Uchiyama, A. (2006) øX174 et al. . In: Calendar R, editor. The Bacteriophages Second ed. London: Oxford Press. pp. 129-145
Uchiyama A, Fane BA (2005) Identification of an interacting coat-external scaffolding protein domain required for both the initiation of phiX174 procapsid morphogenesis and the completion of DNA packaging. J Virol 79: 6751-6756.
Clarke IN, Cutcliffe LT, Everson JS, Garner SA, Lambden PR, Fane BA. (2004) Chlamydiaphage Chp2, a skeleton in the phiX174 closet: scaffolding protein and procapsid identification. J Bacteriol 186: 7571-7574.
Morais MC, Fisher M, Kanamaru S, Przybyla L, Burgner J, Fane BA, Rossmann MG (2004) Conformational switching by the scaffolding protein D directs the assembly of bacteriophage phiX174. Mol Cell 15: 991-997.
Bernal RA, Hafenstein S, Esmeralda R, Fane BA, Rossmann MG (2004) The phiX174 protein J mediates DNA packaging and viral attachment to host cells. J Mol Biol 337: 1109-1122.
Hafenstein SL, Chen M, Fane BA (2004) Genetic and functional analyses of the oX174 DNA binding protein: the effects of substitutions for amino acid residues that spatially organize the two DNA binding domains. Virology 318: 204-213.
Bernal RA, Hafenstein S, Olson NH, Bowman VD, Chipman PR, Baker TS, Fane BA, Rossmann MG (2003) Structural studies of bacteriophage alpha3 assembly. J Mol Biol 325: 11-24.
Burch AD, Fane BA (2003) Genetic analyses of putative conformation switching and cross-species inhibitory domains in Microviridae external scaffolding proteins. Virology 310: 64-71.
Everson JS, Garner SA, Lambden PR, Fane BA, Clarke IN (2003) Host range of chlamydiaphages phiCPAR39 and Chp3. J Bacteriol 185: 6490-6492.
Fane BA, Prevelige PE, Jr. (2003) Mechanism of scaffolding-assisted viral assembly. Adv Protein Chem 64: 259-299.

Teaching Responsibilities

  • Microbial Physiology

Research Areas

  • Biochemistry and Physiology
  • Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology
  • Genetics and Epigenetics
  • Microbiology