Publications

Biswas A., Trachtova K., Fixen K.R. Predicting compatibility between ferredoxins and the Fe protein of nitrogenase using in silico protein modeling. Protein Sci. 2026 Mar;35(3):e70509. doi: 10.1002/pro.70509.

Lewis, N.M., Kisgeropoulos, E. C., Lubner, C. E., and Fixen, K. R. (2024). Characterization of ferredoxins involved in electron transfer pathways for nitrogen fixation implicates differences in electronic structure in tuning 2[4Fe4S] Fd activity. J Inorg Biochem 254:112521.

doi: 10.1016/j.jinorgbio.2024.112521

 

Haq, I.U., Christensen, A. (Undergraduate), and Fixen, K.R. (2024). Evolution of Rhodopseudomonas palustris to degrade halogenated aromatic compounds involves changes in pathway regulation and enzyme specificity. Appl Environ Microbiol 90(2):e0210423. doi:

10.1128/aem.02104-23

 

Lewis, N.M., Sarne, A., and Fixen, K.R. (2023). Evolving a new electron transfer pathway for nitrogen fixation uncovers an electron bifurcating-like enzyme involved in anaerobic aromatic compound degradation. mBio. In press. doi: 10.1128/mbio.02881-22.

 

Haas, N.W., Jain, A., Hying, Z., Arif, S.J., Niehaus, T.D., Gralnick, J.A., Fixen K.R. (2022). PioABC- dependent Fe(II) oxidation during photoheterotrophic growth on an oxidized carbon substrate increases growth yield. Appl Environ Microbiol 88(15): e0097422. doi:

10.1128/aem.00974-22.

 

Ul Haq, I., Hillmann, B., Moran, M., Willard, S., Knights, D., Fixen, K.R., Schilling, J.S. (2022). Bacterial communities associated with wood rot fungi that use distinct decomposition mechanisms. ISME Commun 2, 26. doi: 10.1038/s43705-022-00108-5.

 

Ul Haq, I., and Fixen, K. R. (2021). Complete genome sequence of Rhodopseudomonas palustris RCB100, an anoxygenic phototroph that degrades 3-chlorobenzoate. Microbiol Res Announc, 10(15), e00043-21. doi: 10.1128/MRA.00043-21

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K.R. Fixen, Y. Oda, and C.S. Harwood. (2019). Redox regulation of a light-harvesting antenna complex in an anoxygenic phototroph. mBio. In press.

 

K.R. Fixen, N.P. Chowdhury, M. Martinez-Perez, S. Poudel, E.S. Boyd, and C.S. Harwood. (2018). The path of electron transfer to nitrogenase in a phototrophic alpha-proteobacterium. Environ. Microbiol. 20(7):2500-2508. doi: 10.1111/1462-2920.14262.

 

S. Poudel, D.R. Colman, K.R. Fixen, R.N. Ledbetter, Y. Zheng, N. Pence, L.C. Seefeldt, J.W. Peters, C.S. Harwood, and E.S. Boyd. (2018). Electron transfer to nitrogenase in different genomic and metabolic backgrounds. J. Bacteriol. pii: JB.00757-17. doi: 10.1128/JB.00757-17.

 

Y. Zheng, D.F. Harris, Z. Yu, Y. Fu, S. Poudel, R.N. Ledbetter, K.R. Fixen, Z.Y. Yang, E.S. Boyd, M.E. Lidstrom, L.C. Seefeldt, and C.S. Harwood. (2018). A pathway for biological methane production using iron-only nitrogenase. Nat. Microbiol. 3(3): 281-286. doi: 10.1038/s41564-017-0091-5.

 

A. Garcia-Costas, S. Poudel, A.F. Miller, G.J. Schut, R.N. Ledbetter, K.R. Fixen, L.C. Seefeldt, M.W.W. Adams, C.S. Harwood, E. Boyd , and J.W. Peters. (2017). Defining electron bifurcation in the electron transferring flavoprotein family. J Bacteriol. 199(21): e00440-17. DOI: 10.1128/JB.00440-17

 

J. Yang, L. Yin, F.H. Lessner, E.S. Nakayasu, S.H. Payne, K.R. Fixen, L. Gallagher, and C.S. Harwood. (2017). Genes essential for phototrophic growth by a purple alphaproteobacterium. Environ. Microbiol. 19(9): 3567-3578. doi: 10.1111/1462-2920.13852

 

K.R. Fixen*, S.R. Starkenburg*, C.S. Harwood, and R.A. Cattolico. (2016) Draft genomes of 8 bacterial isolates associated with the haptophyte Chrysochromulina tobin. Genome Announc. 4(6). pii: e01162-16. doi: 10.1128/genomeA.01162-16.

*contributed equally to this work

 

K.R. Fixen*, Y. Zheng*, D.F. Harris, S. Shaw, Z.Y. Yang, D.R. Dean, L. Seefeldt, and C.S. Harwood. (2016). Light-driven carbon dioxide reduction to methane by nitrogenase in a photosynthetic bacterium. PNAS. In press. doi:10.1073/pnas.1611043113

*contributed equally to this work

Featured in Scientific American. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/engineered-bacterium-turns-carbon-dioxide-into-methane-fuel/

 

K.R. Fixen and C.S. Harwood. (2016). A polymorphism in the oxygen-responsive repressor PpsR2 confers a growth advantage to the purple nonsulfur bacterium Rhodopseudomonas palustris under low light. Photosynth Res. 129: 199. doi:10.1007/s11120-016-0288-0

 

K.R. Fixen*, Y. Oda*, and C.S. Harwood. (2015). Clades of photosynthetic bacteria belonging to the genus Rhodopseudomonas show marked diversity in light-harvesting antenna complex gene composition and expression. mSystems. 1(1): e00006-15. doi: 10.1128/mSystems.00006-15.

*contributed equally to this work

 

K.R. Fixen, A.W. Baker, E.A. Stojkovic, J.T. Beatty, C.S. Harwood. (2014). Apo-bacteriophytochromes modulate bacterial photosynthesis in response to low light. PNAS. 111(2): E237-44. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1322410111

 

K.R. Fixen, S.C. Thomas, C.B.S. Tong. 2012. Blue light inhibition of tuberization in day-neutral potato. J of Plant Growth Regulation. 31(3): 342-350. doi: 10.1007/s00344-011-9242-8

 

K.R. Fixen, A. Janakiraman, S.J. Garrity, D.J. Slade, A.N. Gray, N., Karahan, A. Hochschild, M.B. Goldberg. 2012. Genetic reporter assay for positioning of proteins at the bacterial pole. mBio. 3(2). e00251-11. doi: 10.1128/mBio.00251-11

 

A. Janakiraman, K.R. Fixen, A.N. Gray, H. Niki, M.B. Goldberg. 2009. A genome-scale proteomic screen identifies a role for DnaK in chaperoning of polar autotransporters in Shigella. J. Bacteriol. 191(20): 6300-11. doi: 10.1128/JB.00833-09

 

K.R. Fixen, J.R. Chandler, T. Le, B.K. Kozlowicz, D.A. Manias, G.M. Dunny. 2007. Analysis of the amino acid sequence specificity determinants of the enterococcal cCF10 sex pheromone in the interactions with the pheromone sensing machinery.
J. Bacteriol. 189(4): 1399-406. doi: 10.1128/JB.01226-06

 

C. Alberti-Sequi, K.R. Goeden (maiden name), D.E. Higgins. 2007. Differential function of Listeria monocytogenes listeriolysin O and phospholipases C in vacuolar dissolution following cell-to-cell spread. Cell. Microbiol. 9(1):179-95. doi: 10.1111/j.1462-5822.2006.00780.x

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