S. Bruce King

Education

BS, West Virginia University
MS, West Virginia University
PhD, Cornell University
Post-Doctoral, The Scripps Research Institute

Research Description

Our research program is based on a combination of organic chemistry, biochemistry, and biophysics directed towards understanding the various roles small molecules play in redox biochemistry. We are especially interested in how nitric oxide (NO), hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and nitroxyl (HNO) affect bacteria that produce structurally unique low molecular weight (LMW) thiols. Nitroxyl and hydrogen sulfide regulate sulfur metabolism in bacteria and our current interests focus on the investigation of reactivity of nitroxyl with the unique low molecular weight thiols found in some bacteria. We currently study the in vitro reactions of nitroxyl with bacillithiol and mycothiol to determine the reaction kinetics and products. The effect of nitroxyl on the bacteria producing these thiols will be related to the in vitro chemistry and the observed phenotype. We are also improving the total syntheses of bacillithiol and mycothiol to produce more compounds for study and generating analogs of these compounds that could find use as antibiotics. We also work to further refine our methods of HNO detection. Many of these projects are completed in collaboration with other groups in chemistry, physics and the medical school. Students in our group are exposed to organic synthesis, biochemistry, molecular biology, biophysics (especially spectroscopy) and bio-analytical chemistry.

Publications

Arasimowicz-Jelonek, M., Floryszak-Wieczorek, J., Suarez, S., Doctorovic, F.,
Sobieszczuk-Nowicka, E., King, S.B., Milczarek, G., Rębiś, T., Gajewska1, J., Jagodzik, P.,
Żywicki, M. “Discovery of endogenous nitroxyl as a new redox player in Arabidopsis
thaliana,”Nature Plants, 2023, 9, 36-44.

Long, Y.; Xia, Z. Rice, A. M.; King, S.B.; “Para-Substituted O-Benzyl Sulfohydroxamic
Acid Derivatives as Redox-Triggered Nitroxyl (HNO) Sources,” Molecules, 2022, 27, 5305.

Solingapuram Sai K.K, Chen, X., Li, Z., Zhu, C., Shukla, K., Forshaw, T.E., Wu H., Vance,
S.A., Pathirannahel, B.L., Madonna, M., Dewhirst, M.W., Tsang, A.W., Poole, L.B.,
Ramanujam, N., King, S.B., Furdui, C.M. [ 18 F]Fluoro-DCP, a first generation PET radiotracer for
monitoring protein sulfenylation in vivo. Redox Biol. 2022, 49, 102218.

Rice, A.M.; Faig, A.; Wolff, D.E.; King, S.B. “Sodium Borohydride and Thiol Mediated
Nitrite Release from Nitroaromatic Antibiotics,” Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett., 2021, 48, 128245.

Rice, A.M.; Long, Y.; King, S.B. “Nitroaromatic Antibiotics as Nitrogen Oxide Sources,”
Biomolecules, 2021, 11, 267.

Poole, L.B.; Furdui, C.M.; King, S.B. “Introduction to approaches and tools for the
evaluation of protein cysteine oxidation,” Protein Oxidation Book Series: Essays in
Biochemistry, 2020, 64, 1-17.

Holmila, R.J.; Vance, S.A.; King, S.B.; Tsang, A.W.; Singh, R.; Furdui, C.M.; “Silver
Nanoparticles Induce Mitochondrial Protein Oxidation in Lung Cells Impacting Cell Cycle and
Proliferation,” Antioxidants 2019, 8, 552-567.

Li, Z. Forshaw, T.E.; Holmila, R.J. Wu, H.; Poole, L.B.; Furdui, C.M.; King, S.B.
“Triphenylphosphonium-Derived Protein Sulfenic Acid Trapping Agents: Synthesis, Reactivity
and Effect on Mitochondrial Function,” Chem. Res. Toxicol. 2019, 32, 526-534.

Holmila, R.J.; Vance, S.A.; Chen, X.; Wu, H.; Shukla, K.; Bharadwaj, R.S.; Mims, J.;
Wary, Z., Marrs, G.; Singh, R.; Molina, A.J.; Poole, L.B.; King, S.B.; Furdui, C.M.
“Mitochondria-targeted Probes for Imaging Protein Sulfenation,” Scientific Reports, 2018,
8:6635, 24493-24507.

Holbrook, B.C.; Aycock, S.T.; Machiele, E.; Clemens, E.; Gries, D.; Jorgensen, M.J.;
Hadimani, M.B.; King, S.B.; Alexander-Miller, M.A. “An R848 Adjuvanted Influenza Vaccine
Promotes Early Activation of B Cells in the Draining Lymph Nodes of Non-Human Primate
Neonates,” Immunology, 2018, 153, 357-367.

Westcott, M.M.; Clemens, E.A.; Holbrook, B.C.; King, S.B.; Alexander-Miller, M.A. “The
Choice of Linker for Conjugating R848 to Inactivated Influenza Virus Determines the
Stimulatory Capacity for Innate Immune Cells,” Vaccine, 2018, 36, 1174-1182.

Awards and Accomplishments

MacDonough Family Faculty Fellowship, Wake Forest University
Established Investigator of the American Heart Association
Wake Forest University Award for Excellence in Research
Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar
NIH Post-doctoral Fellow, The Scripps Research Institute
NIH Pre-doctoral Fellow, Cornell University
Swiger Pre-doctoral Fellowship, West Virginia University