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Professor Patricia S. Vary - Microbiology Faculty

Photo of Professor Patricia Vary

Distinguished Research Professor, Emerita

Educational Background

Ph.D., 1969, Stanford University 
M.S., 1967, University of Wisconsin
M.S., 1965, Texas Christian University
B.S., 1963, Texas Christian University 

Fields of Interest: Microbial and molecular genetics of Bacillus.

Contact: Patricia S. Vary
pvary@niu.edu
(815) 753-7421 
Office: MO 306, Lab: MO 307
Dept. of Biological Sciences
Northern Illinois University
DeKalb, IL 60115

Links

Representative Publications

Journal Articles:
Genome sequences of the biotechnologically important B. megaterium strains QM B1551 and DSM319. Mark Eppinger, Boyke Bunk, Mitrick A. Johns, Janaka N. Edirisinghe, Kirthi K. Kutumbaka, Sara S. K. Koenig, Heather Huot Creasy, M.J.
Rosovitz, David R. Riley, Sean Daugherty, Madeleine Martin, Liam D. H., Elbourne, Ian Paulsen, Rebekka Biedendieck, Christopher Braun, Scott, Grayburn, Sourabh Dhingra, Vitaliy Lukyanchuk, Barbara Ball, Riaz ul-Qamar, Jurgen Seibel, Erhard Bremer, Dieter Jahn, Jacques Ravel, and Patricia S. Vary. J. Bacteriol. published 24 June 2011, 10.1128/JB.00449-11. http://jb.asm.org/cgi/content/abstract/JB.00449-11v1?ct=ct

Boyke, B., R. Biedendieck, D. Jahn, and P.S. Vary. Bacillus megaterium and other Bacilli, Industrial Applications Wiley Encyclopedia of Industrial
Biotechnology. In press.

Vary, P. S., R. Biedendieck, T. Fuerch, F. Meinhardt, M. Rohde, W. D. Deckwer, and D. Jahn. 2007. Bacillus megaterium--from simple soil bacterium to industrial protein production host. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 76:957-67.

Kunnimalaiyaan, M. and P.S. Vary. 2005. Molecular characterization of plasmid pBM300 from Bacillus megaterium QM B1551. Appld Envrion. Microbiol. 71(6):3068-3076

Rosso, M.-L. and P.S. Vary. 2005. Distribution of Bacillus megaterium QM B1551 plasmids among other Bacillus megaterium strains and Bacillus species. Plasmid. 53:205-217.

Fu, Guifen, Patricia S. Vary, and Chhiu-Tsu Lin. 2005. Anatase TiO2 Nanocomposites for Antimicrobial Coatings. J. Phys. Chem. B
109 :8889-8898.

Kim, t., Z. G. Specht, P.S. Vary and C.T. Lin. 2004. Spectral fingerprints of bacterial strains by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy. J. Phys. Chem. B. 2004, 108, 5477-5482.

Vary, P.S., M. Kunnimalaiyaan, M.S. Scholle. 2003. Comparison of sequences of four homologous theta replicons from B. megaterium QM B1551 and progress in complete sequencing of the seven plasmid array. Plasmid. 48(3):249.

Scholle, M.D. , C. A. White, M. Kunnimalaiyaan, and P.S. Vary. 2003. Sequencing and characterization of pBM400 from Bacillus megaterium QM B1551. Appld Environ. Microbiol.69(11) 6888-6898.

Kunnimalaiyaan, M., D.M. Stevenson, Y. Zhou, and P.S. Vary. 2001. Analysis of the replicon region and identification of a rRNA operon on pBM400 of Bacillus megaterium QM B1551. Molecular Microbiol. 39:1010-1023.

Kunnimalaiyaan, M., Y. Zhou, M. Scholle, G. Baisa and P.S. Vary. 2001. Discoveries within the seven Plasmid array of Bacillus megaterium QM B1551. Plasmid. 45:142.

Reviews
Vary, P.S. 1994. Prime time for Bacillus megaterium. Microbiology 140(5):1001-1013 (minireview).

Book Chapters:
Stevenson, D.M., D. Lach and P.S. Vary. 1993. A gene required for germination in Bacillus megaterium is plasmid borne. pp. 197-207. In: Balla, E. and G. Berencie (eds.). DNA transfer and gene expression in microorganisms. Intercept Ltd. Andover.

Vary, P.S. and W.B. Muse. 1993. Bacillus megateriumQM B1551. pp. 2.66-2.70. In: O'Brien (ed.) Genetic Maps. NIH, Washington, D.C.

Vary, P.S. 1993. The Genetic Map of Bacillus megaterium. pp. 475-481. In: Bacillus subtilis and Other Gram Positives. P.J. Piggott (ed.), American Society for Microbiology, Washington, D.C.

Vary, P.S. 1992. Development of Genetic Engineering in Bacillus megaterium. pp. 253-310. In: Biology of Bacilli: Applications to Industry. R.H. Doi and M. McGloughlin (eds.), Butterworth Heinemann, Stoneham, MA.

PATENTS:
Vary, P.S.  #US5,037,757, Aug. 6, 1991, "Plasmidless strain of Bacillus megaterium."

Vary, P.S. and Y.–P. Tao.  #US5,030,574, July 7, 1991, "Plasmidless Lac– strain of Bacillus                   megaterium QM B1551."

Recent Presentations/Abstracts:

Lukyanchuk, V., C.A. White, M. Scholle, M. Kunnimalaiyaan, P. S. Vary.  The indigenous plasmids of Bacillus megaterium QM B1551 carry some surprising genes including a functional division gene ftsZ.  Wind River Conference on Prokaryotic Biology, Estes Park,  CO, June, 2006.

Vary, P.S.  The versatility of Bacillus megaterium, a genetic perspective.  B. megaterium Symposium.  Society for Industrial Microbiology Annual Meeting, Baltimore, Aug. 2006.  (Keynote speaker)

Kunnimalaiyaan, M.S. Scholle, C.A. White, G. Baisa, Y.-S. Zhou, V. Lukyanchuk, and P.S. Vary*. 2006.  The seven compatible plasmids of Bacillus megaterium QM B1551.  Sequencing and replication.#32. Plasmid 2006, Fallen Leaf Lake, CA Sept, 2006.

Technische Universitat, Braunschweig,
Jan 26, 2005:

  • Symposium: Bacillus megaterium in the Age of the Genome"
  • "Sequencing the Plasmids of B. megaterium, the little known footballs in the game of life."
  • "Current Status of the Genome Project"

Westfaelische Wilhelms-Universitat, Institut fur Molekulare Micxrobiologie und Biotechnologie, Muenster, Germany, January 28, 2005

  • B. megaterium: A Perspective of Superbug over 100 years

Technical University Braunschweig, Germany
Feb. 3, 2005

  • B. megaterium: A Perspective of Superbug over 100 years

Kunnimalaiyaan, M., P.S. Vary. 2003. Sequencing of the 26 kb Plasmid pBM300 from Bacillus megaterium QM B1551 and Characterization of Its Replicon. H109. 103rd Gen Mtg ASM, Washington, DC, May 18-22.

Vary, P.S., M. Kunnimalaiyaan, M.S. Scholle. 2002. Comparison of sequences of four homologous theta replicons from B. megaterium QM B1551 and progress in complete sequencing of the seven plasmid array. Plasmid Biology 2002. Pittsburgh, PA June 22-28.

Kunnimalaiyaan, M., Y. Zhou, M. Scholle, G. Baisa, and P.S.Vary. 2000. Discoveries within the seven plasmid array of Bacillus megaterium QM B1551. p. 35. Plasmid 2000, Prague, Czech Republic, Sept 19-25.

Kunnimalaiyaan, M. 2000. Characterization of a replicon from plasmid pB400 of Bacillus megaterium QM B1551. H25. 100th General Meeting ASM, Los Angeles, CA, May 20-25.

Kunnimailaiyaan, M., Y. Zhou, G. Baisa and P.S. Vary. 2000. Sequence analysis of the Bacillus megaterium seven plasmid array reveals surprises. p. 75. Genomes 2000, Paris, April.

Research Interests

Sequenced B. megaterium graphic

click to view larger

While I have recently retired from active classroom teaching and faculty, I am still researching in my lab with outside funding, currently from NSF . Bacillus megaterium is an interesting soil organism that undergoes a very efficient cell differentiation cycle (sporulation-germination). It also produces unusual enzymes used as model systems, such as three P450 cytochromes, involved in drug metabolism and possibly cancer in higher organisms. Other enzymes of commercial value are a penicillin amidase for constructing synthetic penicillins, enzymes for modifying corticosteroids, and several amino acid dehydrogenases. Moreover, B. megaterium has proven to be an efficient industrial cloning host with no protease degradation of product and good stability of recombinant plasmids. My laboratory developed most of the genetic methods of B. megaterium and has generated the known genetic map. We have cloned and sequenced sporulation genes and characterized a plasmid germination gene. The focus of our present research is on sequencing the genome of QM B1551 and its seven indigenous plasmids. Several of the bacilli contain multiple plasmid arrays, but little is known of their function. Although B. megaterium is nonpathogenic, some other bacilli carry pathogenic genes on their plasmids. We want to understand the replication, compatibility, and stability of the plasmids as well as the genes that they carry. In addition, we want to explore the exchange of plasmid DNA among the Bacillus as well as other Gram positive bacteria.   B. megaterium is rooted deep in the Bacillus phylogenetic tree and is between the B. subtilis group and the pathogenic B. anthracis group in its G+C content.  Genomic comparisons should tell us much about the function and capability of each group.  A Draft sequence is now publicly available and a completed 10X coverage sequence will be available soon.  See “Genome Project” above.