Divya Prakash | Chemistry and Biochemistry| SIU

Divya Prakash

Assistant Professor

Area of interests

My group employs an interdisciplinary approach to examine processes that have a significant impact on the global carbon cycle, alternative energy, and biomedicine. We use tools from chemistry, biochemistry, microbiology, molecular biology, transient state kinetics, spectroscopy, and biophysics to develop a molecular understanding of the proteins involved in electron transport coupled with energy conservation and stress response in anaerobic microbes. Our lab focuses on three major areas: (i) understanding the microbial metabolism of methane formation and oxidation; (ii) Developing probiotics (archaebiotics) to combat cardiovascular disease by preventing the accumulation of trimethylamine (TMA) in the human gut by investigating the biochemistry and physiology of human-associated methanogens; (ii) Define the energy metabolism of bile acid utilizing, bacteremia causing, and colon and liver cancer-associated anaerobic gut bacteria Eggerthella lenta, under different reducing environments, focusing on characterizing the membrane-bound energy-yielding Rnf complex to target for the drug development. Read more…

Education 

M.Sc. (Biotechnology), Goa University, India,
M. Phil. (Enviromental Sciences/Raditation Biology), Jawaharlal Nehru University, India,
Ph.D. (Chemistry & Biochemistry), Auburn University,
Postdoctoral Scholar, Pennsylvania State University,
Assistant Research Professor, Pennsylvania State University

Selected Publications

1. Divya Prakash, Prashanti R. Iyer, Suharti Suharti, Karim A. Walters, John H. Golbeck, Katsuhiko S. Murakami, and James G. Ferry. (2019) “Structure and Function of Flavodoxin from the Domain Archaea Stabilizing an Anionic Semiquinone”. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A, 116 (51) 25917-25922.
2. Divya Prakash, Shikha Chauhan, James G. Ferry. (2019). “Life on the Thermodynamic Edge: Respiratory Growth of an Acetotrophic Methanogen”. Science Advances 5: eaaw9059.
3. Prakash, D., Walters, K. A., Martinie, R. J., Mc Carver, A. C., Kumar, A. K., Lessner, D. J., Krebs, C., Golbeck, J. H., and Ferry, J. G. (2018). “Toward a mechanistic and physiological understanding of a ferredoxin: disulfide reductase from the domains Archaea and Bacteria”. Journal of Biological Chemistry 293, 9198-9209.
4. Evert Duin, Tristan Wagner, Seigo Shima, Divya Prakash, Bryan Cronin, David R. Yáñez-Ruiz, Stephane Duval, Robert Rümbeli, René T. Stemmler, Rudolf Kurt Thauer, and Maik Kindermann. (2016). “Mode of action uncovered for the specific reduction of methane emissions from ruminants by the small molecule 3-nitrooxypropanol”. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A, 113 (22), 6172–6177.
5. Yifeng Wei, Bin Li, Divya Prakash, James G. Ferry, Sean J. Elliott, and JoAnne Stubbe. (2015). “A Ferredoxin Disulfide Reductase Delivers Electrons to the Methanosarcina barkeri Class III Ribonucleotide Reductase”. Biochemistry, 54 (47), pp 7019–7028.
6. Divya Prakash, Yonnie Yu, Sang-Jin Suh, Evert C Duin (2014). “Elucidating the process of activation of Methyl-Coenzyme M Reductase”. Journal of Bacteriology, 196 (13), 2491-98.
7. Prakash Divya, J (2009). “Synergistic role of hydroxyapatite nanoparticles and pulsed electromagnetic field therapy to prevent bone loss in rats following exposure to simulated microgravity”. International Journal of Nanomedicine 4, 133-144.