Nathan C. VerBerkmoes
Staff Research Scientist

B.S., Biochemistry and Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Tennessee, 2001   

Ph.D., Life Science with focus on Genomic Sciences and Technology, University of Tennessee, 2005   

Staff Research Scientist, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 2006 to Present

Research Interests:

Biological mass spectrometry and its applications in proteomics and structural biology. Specifically, I employ multi-dimensional liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ion trap-Orbitrap mass spectrometry for the analysis of purified proteins, protein complexes, and single/multi-species proteomes.
Major focus of my research is the development and application of proteomics technologies to the understanding of microbial physiology through the analysis of whole proteomes or enriched protein complexes.
Develop new proteome methodologies that will allow for the study of microbes and microbial communities directly from environmental samples, a new subfield termed metaproteomics

Professional Societies:

American Society for Mass Spectrometry

American Society for Microbiology

East Tennessee Mass Spectrometry Discussion Group

Selected Publications:

1. Ding, F.A.; Schreiber, D.; VerBerkmoes, N.C.; Becker, J.M.; and F. Naider. The chain Length Dependence of Helix Formation of the Second Transmembrane Domain of the G Protein Coupled Receptor of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. J. Biological Chemistry, 2002, 277(17), 4483-92.
2. VerBerkmoes, N.C.; Bundy, J.L.; Hauser, L.; Asano, K.G.; Razumovskaya, J.; Larimer, F.W.; Hettich, R.L.; and J.L. Stephenson Jr. Integrating "Top-Down" and "Bottom-Up" Mass Spectrometric Approaches for Proteomic Analysis of Shewanella oneidensis. J. Proteome Research, 2002; 1(3), 239-252.
3. VerBerkmoes, N.C.; Hervey, W.J.; Land, M.; Hauser, L.; Larimer, F.W.; Van Berkel, G.J.; and D.E. Goeringer. Evaluation of Shotgun Proteomics for Identification of Biological Threat Agents in Complex Environmental Matrices: Experimental Simulations. Analytical Chemistry, 2005, 77, 923-932.
4. Ram, R.J.; VerBerkmoes, N.C.; Thelen, M.P.; Tyson, G.W.; Shah, M.; Baker B.J.; Blake II, R.C.; Hettich, R.L.; and J.F. Banfield. Community proteomics of a natural microbial biofilm. Science, 2005, 308, 1915-1920.
5. VerBerkmoes, N.C.; Pelletier, D.; Lankford, P.; Tabb, D.L.; Shah, M.; Strader, M.B.; Hauser, L.; Fejes, A.P.; Davison, B.H.; Hurst, G. B.; Beatty, J.T.; Harwood, C.S.; Tabita, R.F; Hettich, R.L.; and F.W. Larimer. Determination and comparison of the baseline proteomes of the versatile microbe Rhodopseudomonas palustris under its major metabolic states. J. Proteome Research. 2006, 5, 287-298.
6. Zhang B.; VerBerkmoes N.C.; Langston M.A.; Uberbacher E.; Hettich R.L.; and N.F. Samatova. Detecting differential and correlated protein expression in label-free shotgun proteomics. J Proteome Res. 2006, 5(11), 2909-2918.
7. Lo I.; Denef V.J.; VerBerkmoes N.C.; Shah M.; Goltsman D.; DiBartolo G.; Tyson G.W.; Allen E.E; Ram R.J.; Detter C.; Richardson P.; Thelen M.P.; Hettich R.L.; and Jillian F. Banfield. Strain-resolved community proteomics reveals recombining genomes of acidophilic bacteria. Nature, 2007, 446(7135):537-541.
8. Denef V.J.; Shah M.B.; VerBerkmoes N.C.; Hettich R.L.; and Jillian F. Banfield. Implications of strain- and species-level sequence divergence for community and isolate shotgun proteomic analysis J Proteome Res. 2007, 6(8):3152-61.
9. Wilmes P, Andersson AF, Lefsrud MG, Wexler M, Shah M, Zhang B, Hettich RL, Bond PL, VerBerkmoes NC, and Banfield JF. Community proteogenomics highlights microbial strain-variant protein expression within activated sludge performing enhanced biological phosphorus removal. ISME J. 2008, 2(8):853-64.
10. Jeans C, Singer SW, Chan CS, VerBerkmoes NC, Shah M, Hettich RL, Banfield JF, and Thelen MP. Cytochrome 572 is a conspicuous membrane protein with iron oxidation activity purified directly from a natural acidophilic microbial community. ISME J. 2008, 2(5):542-50.
11. VerBerkmoes NC, Russell AL, Shah M, Godzik A, Rosenquist M, Halfvarson J, Lefsrud MG, Apajalahti J, Tysk C, Hettich RL, Jansson JK. Shotgun metaproteomics of the human distal gut microbiota.
    ISME J. 2008 Oct 30. [Epub ahead of print]