James F. Preston

Professor

Department of Microbiology and Cell Science University of Florida
Ph.D.:  (1967) Department of Biochemistry, University of Minnesota
Postdoctoral: (1967-1969) Department of Microbiology, Yale University School of Medicine

Teaching Interest

Undergraduate and graduate instruction is provided in areas relating to microbial biotechnology. Lectures and laboratory exercises are designed to provide students with experience in experimental design and the application of current techniques and instrumentation to solve problems in the areas of microbial biochemistry, genetics, and physiology.

Current instructional activity:

MCB 5458, Energy Transformations in Microorganisms. The philosophy of this course is to provide advanced undergraduate and graduate students with exposure to the experimental basis for our current concepts of metabolic potential in microorganisms.

PCB 5136L, Techniques in Microbial and Cell Biology. The philosophy of this course is to provide students with a rigorous exposure to experimental design and instrumental analysis in the general area of microbial biochemistry.

MCB 6409.  Microbial Cell Structure and Function. , 3 credits, 6 to 10 students, 3 meetings per week, split with three to four other faculty. The philosophy of this course is to expose students to current approaches to solving research problems in the areas of expertise of some of the graduate faculty in the Department of Microbiology and Cell Science. This course serves first and second year students in the Department and other graduate students from other Departments, e.g. Plant Pathology, Entomology and Nematology, Animal Science, who have interest in research projects related to Microbiology.

MCB 4905. Undergraduate Research. The philosophy or teaching objective for this course is to identify and supervise a research project that is able to challenge an undergraduate student to design and execute experiments that provide credible data for interpretation. The student is expected to complete a defined research project over the course of two to four semesters, and to prepare a research paper describing the results in a format for publication.

Top

Description of Research

1) Selection of bacterial enzymes for the depolymerization of plant biomass and its fermentative conversion to alternative fuels and bio-based products. Cloning and expression of endoxylanases in bacterial biocatalysts for conversion of glucuronoxylan polymers of the hemicellulose fraction of hardwoods and crop residues to alternative fuels and biobased products.
2) Evolution of molecular mechanisms involved in obligate parasitic relationships of Pasteuria spp. with phytopathogenic nematodes and claderocerans. The goal of this effort is to develop protocols to apply Pasteuria spp. as alternatives to chemical nematicides for the control of root-knot and other phytopathogenic nematodes. 
3) Molecular mechanisms associated with formation of bacterial biofilms.  Formation and function of Beta-1,6-poly-N-acetyl-D-glucosamine in bacteria, including plant pathogenic species of Xanthomonas, e.g. the causative agents of citrus canker (X. axonopodis pv. citri) and bacterial spot on pepper and tomato (X. vesicatoria).

Professional Activities

• Undergraduate Coordinator 1978 to 1980.
• Graduate Coordinator 1990 to 1991; 2003 to 2005.
  University of Florida Graduate Council 1985
• Editorial Board. Journal of Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 1996-2001.
• Editorial Board. Journal of Bacteriology. 2005-present.
• Faculty Advisory Committee to the Vice President of IFAS, 2002-2004.
• University Senate 2001-2003.
• University of Florida Research Foundation Professor 2005-2008.

Top

Selected Publications

Martinez, A., M.E. Rodriguez, S.W. York, J.F. Preston and L. O. Ingram. 2000. Effects of Ca(OH)2 treatments on the composition and toxicity of bagasse hemicellulose hydrolysates. Biotechnol. Bioengin. 69:526-641.

Jeong, Y., C-I Wei, J.F. Preston, and M.R. Marshall. 2000. Purification and characterization of proteases from the hepatopancreas of crawfish (Procambarus clarkii). Journal of Food Biochemistry 24:311-332.

Lin, C-M., J.F. Preston, and C-I. Wei. 2000. Antibacterial mechanism of allyl isothiocyanate. Journal of Food Protection 63:727-734.

Hurlbert, J.C., and J.F. Preston.. 2000. Functional implications of the β-helical protein fold: differences in chemical and thermal stabilities of Erwinia chrysanthemi EC16 pectate lyases B, C, and E. 2000. Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 381: 264-272.

Jeong, Y., C-I Wei, J.F. Preston, and M.R. Marshall. 2000. The effect of crawfish proteases on the inactivation and hydrolytic cleavage of pectic enzymes. Jounal of Food Biochemistry. 24:311-332.

Hurlbert, J.C., and J.F. Preston, 2001.Functional characterization of a novel xylanase from corn strains of Erwinia chrysanthemi. J. Bacteriol.183:2093-2100.

Martinez, A., M.E. Rodriguez, M.L. Wells, S.W. York, J.F. Preston, and L.O. Ingram. 2001. Detoxification of dilute acid hydrolysates of lignocellulose with lime. Biotechnol. Prog. 17:287-293.

Han, T., R. Gonzales, A. Martinez, M. Rodriquez, L.O. Ingram, J.F. Preston, and K.T. Shanmugam. 2001. Use of expression arrays to investigate the basis for increased glycolytic flux (xylose) in ethanologenic Escherichia coli KO11. J. Bacteriol. 183:2979-2988.

Gutierrez, T., M.L. Buszko, L.O. Ingram, and J.F. Preston. 2002. Reduction of furfural to furfuryl alcohol by ethanologenic strains of bacteria and its effect on ethanol production from xylose. Appl. Biochem. Biotechnol. 98-100: 327-340.

Hurlbert, J.C., and J.F. Preston. 2002. Differences in the solution structures of the parallel  b-helical pectate lyases as determined by limited proteolysis. Biochim. Biophys. Acta. Protein Structure & Molecular Enzymology. 1599: 9-20.

Giblin-Davis, R.M., D.S. Williams, S. Bekal, D.W. Dickson, J.A. Brito, J.O. Becker, and J.F. Preston. 2003. ‘Candidatus Pasteuria usgae’, sp.nov., an obligate endoparasite of the phytopathogenic nematode Belanolaimus longicaudatus. Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol. 53:197-200.

Schmidt, L. M., J. F. Preston, D. W. Dickson, J. D. Rice, T. W. Hewlett. 2003. Environmental quantification of Pasteuria penetrans endospores using in situ antigen extraction and immunodetection with a monoclonal antibody. FEMS Microbiol. Ecol. 44:17-26.

Preston, J. F., D. W. Dickson, J. E. Maruniak, G. Nong, J. A. Brito, L. M. Schmidt, and R. M. Giblin-Davis. 2003. Pasteuria spp. : Systematics and phylogeny of these bacterial parasites of phytopathogenic nematodes. Journal of Nematology 35: 198-207.

Brito, J. A, J. F. Preston, D. W.Dickson, R. M. Giblin-Davis, D. S. Williams, H. C. Aldrich, and J. D. Rice. 2003. Temporal Production and Immunolocalization of an Epitope During Pasteuria penetrans sporogenesis. Journal of Nematology 35(3):278-288.

Qian, Y., L.P. Yomano, J.F. Preston, H.C. Aldrich and L.O. Ingram. 2003. Cloning, characterization, and functional expression of the Klebsiella oxytoca xylodextrin utilization operon (xynTB) in Escherichia coli. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 69(10):5957-5967.

Preston, J.F., J.C. Hurlbert, J.D. Rice, A. Ragunathan, and F.J. St. John. “Microbial Strategies for the Depolymerization of Glucuronoxylan: Leads to the Biotechnological Applications of Endoxylanases. in “Application of Enzymes to Lignocellulosics”, eds S.D. Mansfield and J. N. Saddler,  ACS Symposium Series No. 855. Ch 12. pp191-210, 2003. 

Wang, X., J. F. Preston, III, and T. Romeo. 2004. The pgaABCD locus in Escherichia coli promotes the synthesis of a polysaccharide adhesin required for biofilm formation. J. Bacteriol., 186:2724-2734.

Schmidt, L.M., J.F. Preston, G. Nong , D. W. Dickson and H. C. Aldrich, 2004. Detection of Pasteuria penetrans infection in Meloidogyne arenaria race 1 in planta by polymerase chain reaction, FEMS Microbiology Ecology, 48(3):457-464.

El-Borai, F.E.,  L.W. Duncan, and J.F. Preston, 2005. Bionomics of a phoretic association between a putative Paenibacillus sp. and the entomopathogenic nematode Steinernema diaprepesi. J Nematol. 35:18-25.

Itoh, Y., X. Wang, B.J. Hinnebush, J.F. Preston, and T. Romeo. 2005. Depolymerization of  poly-β-1,6-N-acetyl-D-glucosamine disrupts the integrity of diverse bacterial biofilms. J. Bacteriol. 187:382-387.

Gutierrez, T., L.O. Ingram, and J.F. Preston. 2006. Purification and characterization of a furfural reductase (FFR) from Escherichia coli strain LY01: an enzyme important in the detoxification of furfural during ethanol production. J. Biotechnol. 121: 154-164.

St. John, F. J., J.D. Rice, J. F. Preston. 2006. Paenibacillus sp. JDR-2 and XynA1: a novel system for methylglucuronoxylan utilization. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 72:1496-1506

Top