Dr. Varnado was one of the Original Three graduate students
to join the Goodwin laboratory. Neil hails from McComb,
Mississippi. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in
Chemistry from Alcorn State University where he was honored as an
Alcorn State University Academic Scholar. In his time with the
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry here at Auburn University,
Neil was awarded as a Southern Regional Education Board Doctoral
Fellow through the Alabama Commission on Higher Education.
While in the Goodwin laboratory, Neil developed a system to assist
us in the expression of our catalase-peroxidases. He and
others have also been able to apply the system to the expression of
other recombinant hemoproteins. Neil also reported the
characterization of a catalase-peroxidase from E. coli
O157:H7. This enzyme is part of a unique subgroup of
catalase-peroxidases that are distinguished by their periplasmic
location. Interestingly, a significant proportion of these
enzymes are carried by highly virulent bacterial pathogens and are
thought to be virulence factors. His work has also focused on
a unique set of post-translational modifications that occur among
the catalase-peroxidases. In June 2006, Neil defended his
doctoral dissertation entitled: Enhancing Expression of
Recombinant Hemoproteins: Progress Towards Understanding
Structure/Function and Therapeutic Application. Dr. Varnado
moved on to Rice University for postdoctoral research with Professor
John Olson at Rice University. He is currently a Senior Specialist
Engineer with Merck in Raleigh, NC.
Publications and Abstracts
Kudalkar, S.N., Campbell, R.A., Li, Y., Varnado, C.L., Prescott, C.,
and Goodwin D.C. 2012. Enhancing the peroxidatic
activity of KatG by deletion mutagenesis" J. Inorg. Biochem. 116, 106 - 115.
Varnado, C. L., and Goodwin D. C. 2004. Heme- and
peroxide-dependent formation of a novel crosslink in
catalase-peroxidases. Amer. Chem. Soc. Southeast Regional
Meeting, Research Triangle Park, NC.
Varnado, C. L., and Goodwin, D. C. 2004. System for the
expression of recombinant hemoproteins in Escherichia coli.
Protein Expr. Purif. 35, 76 - 83.
Varnado, C. L., Hertwig, K. M., Thomas, R., Roberts, J. K., and
Goodwin, D. C. 2004. Properties of a novel periplasmic
catalase-peroxidase from Escherichia coli O157:H7. Arch.
Biochem.
Biophys. 421, 166 - 174.
Goodwin, D. C., Baker, R. D., Varnado, C. L., and Li, Y. 2003.
Structural requirements for the hemoprotein-dependent
decomposition of hydroperoxides: lessons from the
catalase-peroxidases. Amer. Chem. Soc. Southeast
Regional Meeting, Atlanta, GA.
Varnado, C. L., Hertwig, K. M., Thomas, R., Roberts, J. K., and
Goodwin, D. C. 2003. Characterization of a novel
periplasmic catalase-peroxidase. Amer. Chem. Soc. Southeast
Regional Meeting, Atlanta, GA.
Varnado, C. L., Hertwig, K. M., Thomas, R., Roberts, J. K., and
Goodwin, D. C. 2003. Spectral and kinetic properties of
a novel periplasmic catalase-peroxidase. Amer. Chem. Soc.
226th National Meeting, New York, NY.
Varnado, C. L., and Goodwin, D. C. 2002. Design of an
expression system for recombinant hemoproteins. Amer. Chem.
Soc. Southeast Regional Meeting, Charleston, SC.