A. Daniel Jones
Research Interests
My research interests lie in improving mass spectrometry and separation strategies and applying them to perform global profiling of metabolites. This approach, known as metabolomics, probes the influence of genetics and environment on rates of biosynthesis and degradation of metabolites. Such measurements lie at the heart of systems biology approaches for engineering plants and microorganisms for improved productivity, as biosensors, and as valuable sources of an assortment of bioactive chemicals. Furthermore, the information in the metabolome can be used as biomarkers of stress, toxicity, and disease.
The diversity of metabolites produced by plants, fungi, and bacteria has been minimally explored, yet many of these compounds have potent biological activities that influence interactions involving plants, microbes, and insects. In several interdisciplinary collaborations, my research group has developed sensitive analytical schemes for characterizing, quantifying, and sorting these unknown metabolites according to chemical classes based on information contained in their mass spectra.
Our ongoing efforts are exploring the boundaries of fast-scanning high-resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometry and other MS/MS approaches to improve characterization of the metabolome using an assortment of plant and animal model systems. Plants appear to distinguish different modes of wounding (e.g. mechanical wounding from insect herbivory and pathogen infections), and their chemistry changes in distinct ways as a response to different environmental stresses. Precursor ion MS/MS scans have shown that different insect species deposit different phospholipids profiles onto plants while feeding, and these lipids may play important signaling roles that allow plants to distinguish stresses and respond with different defensive chemicals.
More targeted analyses of electrophilic signaling lipids are achieved through chemical derivatization that can be used for selective metabolite enrichment. Our group is also developing chiral monolithic capillary columns for sensitive HPLC and capillary electrochromatographic separations of metabolite enantiomers that will allow for improved metabolite localization and analysis of less abundant metabolites.
Recent Publications
Zou W, Beggs KM, Sparkenbaugh EM, Jones AD, Younis HS, Roth RA, Ganey PE. 2009. Sulindac metabolism and synergy with tumor necrosis factor-alpha in a drug-inflammation interaction model of idiosyncratic liver injury. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 331(1):114-21.
AJK Koo, XL Gao, AD Jones, GA Howe. 2009. A rapid wound signal activates the systemic synthesis of bioactive jasmonates in Arabidopsis. Plant Journal. 59:974-986.
Dekeyser JG, Stagliano MC, Auerbach SS, Prabhu KS, Jones AD, Omiecinski CJ. (2009) Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate is a highly potent agonist for the human constitutive androstane receptor splice variant, CAR2. Mol Pharmacol. 75(5):1005-13.
Kahlon DK, Lansdell TA, Fisk JS, Hupp CD, Friebe TL, Hovde S, Jones AD, Dyer RD, Henry RW, Tepe JJ. (2009) Nuclear Factor-kappaB Mediated Inhibition of Cytokine Production by Imidazoline Scaffolds. J Med Chem. Feb 16. Epub ahead of print.
Butler PJ, Dong C, Snyder AJ, Jones AD, Sheets ED. (2008) Bioengineering and Bioinformatics Summer Institutes: meeting modern challenges in undergraduate summer research. CBE Life Sci Educ. Spring;7(1):45-53.
Kalcic CL, Gunaratne TC, Jones AD, Dantus M, Reid GE. (2009) Femtosecond laser-induced ionization/dissociation of protonated peptides. J Am Chem Soc. 131(3):940-2.
Mansfield MA, Jones AD, Kuldau GA. (2008) Contamination of fresh and ensiled maize by multiple penicillium mycotoxins. Phytopathology. 98(3):330-6.
Chung HS, Koo AJ, Gao X, Jayanty S, Thines B, Jones AD, Howe GA. (2008) Regulation and function of Arabidopsis JAZ genes in response to wounding and herbivory. Plant Physiol. 146(3):952-64.
Balan V, da Costa Sousa L, Chundawat SP, Vismeh R, Jones AD, Dale BE. (2008) Mushroom spent straw: a potential substrate for an ethanol-based biorefinery. J Ind Microbiol Biotechnol. 35(5):293-301.
Mansfield MA, Archibald DD, Jones AD, Kuldau GA. (2007) Relationship of sphinganine analog mycotoxin contamination in maize silage to seasonal weather conditions and to agronomic and ensiling practices. Phytopathology. 97(4):504-11. MORE