Theodore Muth
Professor
Biology
Location: 3239 Ingersoll Hall
Phone: 718.951.5000 x2681
Fax: 718.951.4659
Email:
Theodore Muth, Ph.D. is an associate professor in the Biology Department. My lab's research studies the microbial communities of urban soils and green infrastructure. A fundamental question driving our research is how humans impact urban microbial communities, and in what ways does the intensity of human activity influence the composition of these bacterial communities? Importantly, we wonder how bacterial diversity is impacted, and how this influences the critical nutrient and geochemical cycles that soil and water bacterial communities are known to contribute to in less disturbed environments? With increasing urbanization at a global level, sustainable use and management of urban soils is needed in order to maximize the ecosystem services these soils are able to provide. We analyze urban microbial communities using metagenomic approaches coupled with next generation DNA sequencing. Our lab also studies the infectious mechanism of the plant pathogen, Agrobacterium tumefaciens.
Education:
Postdoctoral Fellowship, University of California - Berkeley - 2000 (Microbiology)
Postdoctoral Fellowship, Hebrew University of Jerusalem - 1999 (Protein Structure and Function)
Ph.D. , Yale University School of Medicine - 1998 (Cell Biology)
B.S., Haverford College - 1993 (Cell and Molecular Biology)
Areas of Expertise:
My expertise is in cell and molecular biology, and microbiology. My lab uses molecular and genetics tools to study microbial communities. We use metagenomic approaches coupled with next-generation DNA sequencing to study these communities. We have expertise studying bacterial pathogens of plants using novel genomic approaches. I have developed training tools and resources to facilitate the study of microbiomes in the undergraduate curriculum using course-based research experiences (CUREs).
Books and Publications
Jessica Lee Joyner, Jordan Kerwin, Maha Deeb, George Lozefski, Anna Paltseva, Bharath Prithiviraj, John McLaughlin, Zhongqi Cheng, Peter Groffman, Theodore R Muth. Green Infrastructure Design Influences Urban Soil Bacteria Communities. 2019 Frontiers in Microbiology. (Books and Publications: Article (Peer-reviewed)) 2019
McLaughlin, J., Urisaka, M., Muth, T.R., Montalto, F., and Kleyman, J. 2019. "Assessment of microbial community composition and activity in green infrastructure sites." WEFTEC 92nd Annual Water Environment Federation's Technical Exhibition and Conference pp. 3232-3252. (Books and Publications: Article (Other)) 2019
Deeb-Collet, M., Groffman, P. M., Joyner, J. L., Lozefski, G., Paltseva, A., Lin, B., Mania, K., Cao, D. L., McLaughlin, J., Muth, T. R., Prithiviraj, B., Kerwin, J., and Cheng, J. 2018. "Soil and microbial properties of green infrastructure stormwater management systems". Ecological Engineering 125: 68-75. (Books and Publications: Article (Peer-reviewed)) 2018
Toole, D. R., G. H. Cannon, C. J. Brislawn, J. M. Graves, R. Lamendella, T. R. Muth, and N. Z. Muth. 2018. "Differences in Soil Fungal Assemblages Associated with Native and Non-Native Tree Species of Varying Weediness." Biological Invasions 20 (4): 891-904. doi:10.1007/s10530-017-1580-4. (Books and Publications: Article (Peer-reviewed)) 2018
Petrovicheva, A., J. Joyner, and T. R. Muth. 2017. "Quantification of Agrobacterium Tumefaciens C58 Attachment to Arabidopsis Thaliana Roots." FEMS Microbiology Letters 364 (18). doi:10.1093/femsle/fnx158. (Books and Publications: Article (Peer-reviewed)) 2017
Seitz, H.M., Horak, R. E.A, Howard, M.W., Kluckhohn Jones, L.W., Muth, T.R., Parker, C., Rediske, A. P, and Whitehurst, M.M. 2017. Development and validation of the microbiology for health sciences concept inventory. Journal of Microbiology and Biology Education, 18 (3). doi:10.1128/jmbe.v18i3.1322 (Books and Publications: Article (Peer-reviewed)) 2017
Shilo, S., P. Tripathi, C. Melamed-Bessudo, O. Tzfadia, T. R. Muth, and A. A. Levy. 2017. "T-DNA-Genome Junctions Form Early After Infection and are Influenced by the Chromatin State of the Host Genome." PLoS Genetics 13 (7). doi:10.1371/journal.pgen.1006875. (Books and Publications: Article (Peer-reviewed)) 2017
Huot H., Joyner J., Córdoba A., Shaw R., Wilson M., Walker R., Muth TR., Cheng Z. Characterizing urban soils: Profile properties and bacterial communities in New York City. Journal of Soils and Sediments, accepted Sept. 2016.
(Books and Publications: Article (Peer-reviewed)) 2016
Afshinnekoo E, Meydan C, Chowdhury S, Jaroudi D, Boyer C, Bernstein N, Maritz JM, Reeves D, Gandara J, Chhangawala S, Ahsanuddin S, Simmons A, Nessel T, Sundaresh B, Pereira E, Jorgensen E, Kolokotronis S-, Kirchberger N, Garcia I, Gandara D, Dhanraj* S, Nawrin* T, Saletore Y, Alexander N, Vijay P, Hénaff EM, Zumbo P, Walsh M, O'Mullan GD, Tighe S, Dudley JT, Dunaif A, Ennis S, O'Halloran E, Magalhaes TR, Boone B, Jones AL, Muth TR, Paolantonio KS, Alter E, Schadt EE, Garbarino J, Prill RJ, Carlton JM, Levy S, Mason CE. Geospatial resolution of human and bacterial diversity with city-scale metagenomics. [R] Cell Systems. 2015;1(1):72-87. (Books and Publications: Article (Peer-reviewed)) 2015
Hokai Y, Jurkowicz* B, Fernández-Gallardo J, Zakirkhodjaev* N, Sanaú M, Muth TR, Contel M. Auranofin and related heterometallic gold(I)-thiolates as potent inhibitors of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus bacterial strains. [R] J Inorg Biochem. 2014;138:81-8 (Books and Publications: Article (Peer-reviewed)) 2014
Muth TR and McEntee C. Undergraduate urban metagenomic research module. [R] J. Microbiology and Biology Education. 2014; 15(1): 38-40. (Books and Publications: Article (Peer-reviewed)) 2014
Frik M, Jiménez J, Gracia I, Falvello LR, Abi-Habib* S, Suriel* K, Muth TR, Contel M. Luminescent di- and polynuclear organometallic gold(I)-metal (au 2, {au 2Ag} n and {au 2Cu} n) compounds containing bidentate phosphanes as active antimicrobial agents. [R] Chem Eur J. 2012;18(12):3659-74. (Books and Publications: Article (Peer-reviewed)) 2012
Duffield, A., M.J. Caplan and T.R. Muth. "Protein Trafficking in Epithelial Cells." International Review of Cell and Molecular Biology. Manuscript in press. (Books and Publications: Forthcoming Publications) 2008
Brown, A., T.R. Muth and M.J. Caplan. "The C-teminal Tail of the GAT-2 GABA Transporter Contains a Novel Basolateral Targeting Signal." American Journal of Physiology 286.5: C1071-77. (Books and Publications: Article (Peer-reviewed)) 2004
Muth, T.R. and M.J. Caplan. "Sorting of Ion Transporters in Polarized Cells." Annual Review of Cell and Developmental Biology 19: 333-66. (Books and Publications: Article (Peer-reviewed)) 2003
Deen, P.M., B.W. Van Balkom, P.J. Savelkoul, E.J. Kamsteeg, M. Van Raak, M.L. Jennings, T.R. Muth, V. Rajendran and M.J. Caplan. "Aquaporin-2: COOH Terminus Is Necessary But Not Sufficient for Routing to the Apical Membrane." American Journal of Physiology 282: F330-40. (Books and Publications: Article (Peer-reviewed)) 2002
Muth, T.R. and S. Schuldiner. "A Single Membrane-Embedded Glutamate Influences Binding of a High-Affinity Ligand to the Multidrug Transporter EmrE." The EMBO Journal 19.2: 234-40. (Books and Publications: Article (Peer-reviewed)) 2000
Zupan, J., T.R. Muth, O. Draper and P. Zambryski. "The Transfer of DNA From Agrobacterium tumefaciens Into Plants: A Feast of Fundamental Insights." The Plant Journal 23.1: 1-18. (Books and Publications: Article (Other)) 2000
Ahn J, Pietrini G, Muth TR, Caplan MJ. Expression of neurotransmitter transport systems in polarized cells. [R, REV] Methods in Enzymology. 1998. 296, pp. 370-388 (Books and Publications: Article (Peer-reviewed)) 1998
Dunbar LA, Courtois-Coutry N, Roush DL, Muth TR, Gottardi CJ, Rajendran V, Geibel J, Kashgarian M, Caplan MJ. Sorting of P-type ATPases in polarized epithelial cells. [R, REV] Acta Physiol Scand Suppl. 1998;163(643):289-95 (Books and Publications: Article (Peer-reviewed)) 1998
Muth TR, Ahn J, Caplan MJ. Identification of sorting determinants in the C-terminal cytoplasmic tails of the γ-aminobutyric acid transporters GAT-2 and GAT-3. [R] J Biol Chem.1998;273(40):25616-27 (Books and Publications: Article (Peer-reviewed)) 1998
Muth TR, Gottardi CJ, Roush DL, Caplan MJ. A basolateral sorting signal is encoded in the α-subunit of na-K- ATPase. [R] Am J Physiol Cell Physiol. 1998;274(3 43-3). (Books and Publications: Article (Peer-reviewed)) 1998
Dunbar LA, Roush DL, Courtois-Coutry N, Muth TR, Gottardi CJ, Rajendran V, Geibel J, Kashgarian M, Caplan MJ. Sorting of ion pumps in polarized epithelial cells. [R] Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 1997 (Books and Publications: Article (Peer-reviewed)) 1997
Muth TR, Dunbar LA, Cortois-Coutry N, Roush DL, Caplan MJ. Sorting and trafficking of ion transport proteins in polarized epithelial cells. [R, REV] Curr Opin Nephrol Hypertens. 1997;6(5):455- (Books and Publications: Article (Peer-reviewed)) 1997
Ahn J, Mundigl O, Muth TR, Rudnick G, Caplan MJ. Polarized expression of GABA transporters in madin-darby canine kidney cells and cultured hippocampal neurons. [R] J Biol Chem. 1996;271(12):6917-24 (Books and Publications: Article (Peer-reviewed)) 1996
Medina R, Grishina G, Meloni EG, Muth TR, Berlot CH. Localization of the effector-specifying regions of G(i2α) and G(qα). [R] J Biol Chem. 1996;271(40):24720-7 (Books and Publications: Article (Peer-reviewed)) 1996
Finberg KE, Muth TR, Young SP, Maken JB, Heitritter SM, Binns AN, Banta LM. Interactions of VirB9, -10, and -11 with the membrane fraction of agrobacterium tumefaciens: Solubility studies provide evidence for tight associations. [R] J Bacteriol. 1995;177(17):4881-9 (Books and Publications: Article (Peer-reviewed)) 1995
Awards, Honors and Fellowships
RCN-UBE: A National Network for Integrating the Study of Microbiomes into Course-based Research Experiences (PI with CoPI A. Caplan). NSF $474,610 (Grants and Fellowships) 2018
Quantifying Biogeochemical and Microbial Properties and Processes in Green Infrastructure Soils (co-PI with J. Cheng and P. Groffman). ASRC Cooperative Postdoc Research Grant. $75,000 (Grants and Fellowships) 2016
Soil Microbial Communities in the Urban Environment (co-PI with J. Cheng and R. Shaw). USDA. $114,928. (Grants and Fellowships) 2013
Urban Microbial Community Dynamics: A Classroom Approach (PI with A. Caplan). NSF. $538,815 (Grants and Fellowships) 2013
Authentic Research Experience in Microbiology (PI with C. McEntee). NSF. $193,899 (Grants and Fellowships) 2007
BARD Fellowship - Binational Agricultural and Research Development, to support research while on sabbatical as a visiting scientist at The Weizmann Institute. $36,000. (Grants and Fellowships) 2007
NSF grant, for Course Curriculum and Laboratory Improvement Authentic Research Experience in Microbiology for Undergraduate Students at Brooklyn College. This proposal will transform the current undergraduate microbiology laboratory curriculum into a cutting-edge lab that conducts authentic research on projects related to the PI's studies with the plant pathogen, Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Principal investigator. $197,000; 2007-10. (Grants and Fellowships) 2007
Research student in the lab, S.A. Newell, was awarded as American Society for Microbiology Summer Research Fellowship. (Awards and Honors) 2007
NSF Major Research Instrumentation Funding, to purchase a BD Biosciences FACSCanto Benchtop Flow Cytometer. The flow cytometer will be used in assays performed by undergraduates to monitor and quantify the attachment of fluorescently labeled A. tumefaciens bacteria to plant cell protoplasts. Co-prinicipal investigator. $210,582; 2005-06. (Grants and Fellowships) 2005
Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums
"Agrobacterium tumefaciens: Nature's Own Genetic Engineer." University of Haifa, Israel. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2008
"Infection of Suspension Culture Plant Cells by A. tumefaciens." The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2008
"Agrobacterium tumefaciens: Nature's Own Genetic Engineer." Muhlenberg College. Allentown, Pa. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2007
Newell, S.A. and T. Muth. "The Role of AtAGP17 in the Attachment of A. tumefaciens to Host Plants." American Society for Microbiology Annual Meeting. Toronto. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2007
Petrovicheva, A. and T. Muth. "Approaches to Identifying Factors Mediating the Attachment of A. tumefaciens to Host Cells." International Crown Gall Conference Meeting. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2007
Petrovicheva, A. and T. Muth. "The Role of AtAGP17 in A. tumefaciens Attachment to Host Plant Cells." XIII International Congress on Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions. Sorrento, Italy. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2007
Pedagogical Achievements
Selected as a Project Kaleidoscope Faculty for the 21st Century member. 2005