Faculty Web Page of Christopher Rensing in the Department of Soil, Water and Environmental Science

Selected Publications

Rensing, C., B. Mitra, and B.P. Rosen. 1997. The zntA gene of Escherichia coli encodes a Zn(II)-translocating P-type ATPase. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 94: 14326-14331.

Rensing, C., B. Fan, R. Sharma, B. Mitra, and B. P. Rosen. 2000. CopA: an Escherichia coli Cu(I)-translocating P-type ATPase. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 97: 652-656.

Grass, G., and C. Rensing. 2001. Genes involved in copper homeostasis in Escherichia coli. J. Bacteriol. 183: 2145-2147.

Roberts S.A., A. Weichsel, G. Grass, K. Thakali, J.T. Hazzard, G. Tollin, C. Rensing, and W.R. Montfort. 2002. Crystal structure and electron transfer kinetics of CueO, a multi-copper oxidase required for copper homeostasis in Escherichia coli. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 99: 2766-2771.

Franke, S., G. Grass, C. Rensing and D.H. Nies. 2003. Molecular analysis of the copper-transporting efflux system CusCFBA from Escherichia coli. J. Bacteriol. 185: 3804-3812.

Wang, G., S.P. Kennedy, S. Fasiludeen, C. Rensing, and S. DasSarma. 2004. Arsenic resistance in Halobacterium sp. NRC-1 examined using an improved genetic knockout system. J. Bacteriol. 186: 3187-3194.

Grass, G., K. Thakali, P.E. Klebba, D. Thieme, A. Müller, G.F. Wildner, and C. Rensing. 2004. Linkage between catecholate siderophores and the multi-copper oxidase CueO in Escherichia coli. J. Bacteriol. 186: 5826-5833.

Grass, G., S. Franke, N. Taudte, D.H. Nies, L.M. Kucharski, M.E. Maguire and C. Rensing. 2005. The metal permease ZupT from Escherichia coli is a transporter with a broad substrate spectrum. J. Bacteriol. 187: 1604-1611.

Rensing, C. 2005. Form and function in metal-dependent transcriptional regulation: dawn of the enlightment. J. Bacteriol. 187: 3909-3912.

Haney, C.J., G. Grass, S. Franke, and C. Rensing. 2005. New developments in functional understanding of the cation-diffusion-facilitator family. J. Indust. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 32: 215-226.

Loftin, R.I., S. Franke, A. Weichsel, S.A. Roberts, A. Heroux, W.R. Montfort, C. Rensing, and M.M. McEvoy. 2005. A novel copper-binding fold for the periplasmic copper resistance protein CusF. Biochemistry 44: 10533-10540.

Qin, J., B.P. Rosen, Y. Zhang, G. Wang, S. Franke, and C. Rensing. 2006. Arsenic detoxification and evolution of trimethylarsine gas by a microbial arsenite S-adenosylmethionine methyltransferase. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 103: 2075-2080.

Quaranta, D., R. McCarty, V. Bandarian, and C. Rensing. 2007. The copper-inducible cin operon encodes an unusual methionine-rich azurin and a queuosine reductase in Pseudomonas putida KT 2440. J. Bacteriol. 189: 5361-5371.

Baggay, I., W. Liu, C. Rensing, N. J. Blackburn and M. McEvoy. 2007. Substrate-linked conformational change in the periplasmic component of a Cu(I)/Ag(I) efflux system. J. Biol. Chem. In press.

Selected Bookchapters

Rensing, C., and B.P. Rosen. 2000. Transport of soft metals in prokaryotes. In Molecular Biology and Toxicology of Metals. Zalpus, R.K., and J. Koronpatnik, editors. Taylor and Francis, London. 129-149.

Rensing, C. and G. Grass, 2003, Efflux systems in metallophiles, in Extremophiles, edited by C. Gerday, In Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (EOLSS), Eolss Publishers, Oxford, UK, [http://www.eolss.net]

Hasman, H., S. Franke, and C. Rensing. 2006. Resistance to metals used in agricultural production. In Antimicrobial Resistance in Bacteria of Animal Origin. Aarestrup, F.M., and H.C. Wegener, editors. ASM Press, Washington, D.C. 99-114.

Franke, S. and C. Rensing. 2007. Acidophiles: mechanisms to tolerate metal and acid toxicity. In Physiology and Biochemistry of Extremophiles. Gerday, C., and N. Glansdorff, editors. ASM Press, Washington, D.C. 271-278.

Mitra, B. and C. Rensing. 2007. Zinc, cadmium and lead resistance and homeostasis. In Molecular Microbiology of heavy metals. Nies, D.H., and S. Silver, editors. Springer Verlag, Heidelberg. 321-341.

Grants

Biotechnological Exploitation of Halotolerant Enzymes. C. Rensing (P.I.) and I.L. Pepper (Co-P.I.), 2004-2007, NSF, $150,000.

The Role of Protein Interactions in Microbial Copper/Silver Resistance. M. McEvoy (P.I.) and C. Rensing (Co-P.I.), 2007-2011, NIH $1,064,000.

Christopher Rensing Associate Professor Ph.D., Microbiology, 1996, Free University of Berlin M.Sc., Microbiology, 1992, Free University of Berlin B.Sc., Biology, 1988, Free University of Berlin Office: Family and Consumer Resources, Room 314 Tucson, AZ 85721 Phone: (520) 626-8482 Fax: (520) 621-1647 Email: rensingc@ag.arizona.edu updated 10/2007	name and address
Research Environmental Microbiology, structure and function of metal transport proteins Research: Supplementary material in pdf format Table 1. PCR primers used for site-directed mutagenesis (Lee et al., 2002) Figure 1. Multiple alignment of the CDF family proteins
Education 1996 Ph.D. at the Free University Berlin/Germany Advisor: Dr. Dietrich Nies Thesis: Bacterial Heavy Metal Resistances and their Expression in Eukaryotes. 1992 Diplom (equivalent to M. Sc.) at the Free University of Berlin/Germany Advisor: Dr. Baerbel Friedrich 1988 Vordiplom (equivalent to B. Sc.) at the Free University of Berlin German Teaching Microbial Physiology: http://microvet.arizona.edu/Courses/MIC328/index.html Chronology of Employment 2007-present Associate Professor Department of Soil, Water, and Environmental Science, University of Arizona 1999 – 2007 Assistant Professor Department of Soil, Water, and Environmental Science, University of Arizona 1996 – 1999 Postdoctoral Fellow Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Wayne State University, School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan 1991 – 1996 Research Fellow Department of Microbiology, Free University of Berlin and Martin-Luther University Halle/Wittenberg Awards 1997 National Research Service Award by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
Selected Publications Rensing, C., B. Mitra, and B.P. Rosen. 1997. The zntA gene of Escherichia coli encodes a Zn(II)-translocating P-type ATPase. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 94: 14326-14331. Rensing, C., B. Fan, R. Sharma, B. Mitra, and B. P. Rosen. 2000. CopA: an Escherichia coli Cu(I)-translocating P-type ATPase. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 97: 652-656. Grass, G., and C. Rensing. 2001. Genes involved in copper homeostasis in Escherichia coli. J. Bacteriol. 183: 2145-2147. Roberts S.A., A. Weichsel, G. Grass, K. Thakali, J.T. Hazzard, G. Tollin, C. Rensing, and W.R. Montfort. 2002. Crystal structure and electron transfer kinetics of CueO, a multi-copper oxidase required for copper homeostasis in Escherichia coli. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 99: 2766-2771. Franke, S., G. Grass, C. Rensing and D.H. Nies. 2003. Molecular analysis of the copper-transporting efflux system CusCFBA from Escherichia coli. J. Bacteriol. 185: 3804-3812. Wang, G., S.P. Kennedy, S. Fasiludeen, C. Rensing, and S. DasSarma. 2004. Arsenic resistance in Halobacterium sp. NRC-1 examined using an improved genetic knockout system. J. Bacteriol. 186: 3187-3194. Grass, G., K. Thakali, P.E. Klebba, D. Thieme, A. Müller, G.F. Wildner, and C. Rensing. 2004. Linkage between catecholate siderophores and the multi-copper oxidase CueO in Escherichia coli. J. Bacteriol. 186: 5826-5833. Grass, G., S. Franke, N. Taudte, D.H. Nies, L.M. Kucharski, M.E. Maguire and C. Rensing. 2005. The metal permease ZupT from Escherichia coli is a transporter with a broad substrate spectrum. J. Bacteriol. 187: 1604-1611. Rensing, C. 2005. Form and function in metal-dependent transcriptional regulation: dawn of the enlightment. J. Bacteriol. 187: 3909-3912. Haney, C.J., G. Grass, S. Franke, and C. Rensing. 2005. New developments in functional understanding of the cation-diffusion-facilitator family. J. Indust. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 32: 215-226. Loftin, R.I., S. Franke, A. Weichsel, S.A. Roberts, A. Heroux, W.R. Montfort, C. Rensing, and M.M. McEvoy. 2005. A novel copper-binding fold for the periplasmic copper resistance protein CusF. Biochemistry 44: 10533-10540. Qin, J., B.P. Rosen, Y. Zhang, G. Wang, S. Franke, and C. Rensing. 2006. Arsenic detoxification and evolution of trimethylarsine gas by a microbial arsenite S-adenosylmethionine methyltransferase. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 103: 2075-2080. Quaranta, D., R. McCarty, V. Bandarian, and C. Rensing. 2007. The copper-inducible cin operon encodes an unusual methionine-rich azurin and a queuosine reductase in Pseudomonas putida KT 2440. J. Bacteriol. 189: 5361-5371. Baggay, I., W. Liu, C. Rensing, N. J. Blackburn and M. McEvoy. 2007. Substrate-linked conformational change in the periplasmic component of a Cu(I)/Ag(I) efflux system. J. Biol. Chem. In press. Selected Bookchapters Rensing, C., and B.P. Rosen. 2000. Transport of soft metals in prokaryotes. In Molecular Biology and Toxicology of Metals. Zalpus, R.K., and J. Koronpatnik, editors. Taylor and Francis, London. 129-149. Rensing, C. and G. Grass, 2003, Efflux systems in metallophiles, in Extremophiles, edited by C. Gerday, In Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (EOLSS), Eolss Publishers, Oxford, UK, [http://www.eolss.net] Hasman, H., S. Franke, and C. Rensing. 2006. Resistance to metals used in agricultural production. In Antimicrobial Resistance in Bacteria of Animal Origin. Aarestrup, F.M., and H.C. Wegener, editors. ASM Press, Washington, D.C. 99-114. Franke, S. and C. Rensing. 2007. Acidophiles: mechanisms to tolerate metal and acid toxicity. In Physiology and Biochemistry of Extremophiles. Gerday, C., and N. Glansdorff, editors. ASM Press, Washington, D.C. 271-278. Mitra, B. and C. Rensing. 2007. Zinc, cadmium and lead resistance and homeostasis. In Molecular Microbiology of heavy metals. Nies, D.H., and S. Silver, editors. Springer Verlag, Heidelberg. 321-341. Grants Biotechnological Exploitation of Halotolerant Enzymes. C. Rensing (P.I.) and I.L. Pepper (Co-P.I.), 2004-2007, NSF, $150,000. The Role of Protein Interactions in Microbial Copper/Silver Resistance. M. McEvoy (P.I.) and C. Rensing (Co-P.I.), 2007-2011, NIH $1,064,000.