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Selected Peer-Reviewed Publications (in chronological order)

Plaut AG, Gilbert JV, Artenstein MS, Capra JD: Neisseria gonorrhoeae and N. meningitidis: production of an extracellular enzyme which cleaves human IgA. Science. 1975;190:1103-1105.

Bricker J, Mulks MH, Moxon ER, Plaut AG, Wright A. Physical and genetic analysis of DNA regions encoding the immunoglobulin A proteases of different specificities produced by Haemophilus influenzae. Infect Immun. 1985;47:370-374.

Plaut AG, Gilbert JV, Leger G, Blumenstein M. IgA1 protease cleaves heavy chains independently in dimeric human IgA1. J Mol Immunology. 1985;7:821-826.

Grundy F, Plaut AG, Wright A. Haemophilus influenzae A1 protease genes: cloning by plasmid integration-excision comparative analyses and localization of secretion determinants. J Bacteriology. 1987;169:44-50.

Gilbert JV, Plaut AG,  Fishman Y, Wright A. Cloning of the gene encoding Streptococcal immunoglobulin A protease and its expression in Escherichia coli. Infect. Immun. 1988;56:1961-1966.

Bachovchin WW, Plaut AG, Flentke GR, Lynch M, Kettner CA. Inhibition of IgA1 proteinases from Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Haemophilus. influenzae by peptide prolyl boronic acids. J Biol Chem. 1990;265:3738-43.

Gilbert JV, Plaut AG, Wright A. Analysis of the immunoglobulin A protease gene of Streptococcus sanguis. Inf Immun. 1991;59:7-17.

Flentke GR, Munoz E, Huber BT, Plaut A, Kettner C, Bachovchin WW. Inhibition of dipeptidyl amonopeptidase IV (DP-IV) by Xaa-boroPro dipeptides and use of these inhibitors to examine the role of DP-IV in T-cell function. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 1991;88:1556-1559.

Plaut AG, Qiu J, Grundy F, Wright A. Growth of Haemophilus influenzae in human milk: synthesis, distribution, and activity of IgA protease as determined by study of iga+ and mutant iga- cells. J Infect Dis. 1992;166:43.

Devenyi A, Plaut AG, Grundy FJ, Wright A. Post-infectious human serum antibodies inhibit IgA1 proteinases by interaction with the cleavage site specificity determinants. Mol Immunology. 1993;30:1243-1248.

Plaut AG, Bachovchin WW. IgA-specific prolyl endopeptidases: serine type. IN: Methods in Enzymology, Vol 244: Proteolytic Enzymes: Serine and Cysteine Peptidases, A. Barrett, ed., Academic Press. 1994:137-151.

Plaut AG, Wright A: IgA-specific prolyl endopeptidases (metallo-type). IN: Methods in Enzymology, Vol 248: Proteolytic Enzymes: Aspartic and Metallo Peptidases. 1995:634-642.

Qiu J, Brackee GP, Plaut AG. Analysis of the Specificity of Bacterial IgA Proteases by a Comparative Study of Ape Serum IgA as Substrates. Infect Immun. 1996;64:933-937.

Wani HJ, Gilbert JV, Plaut AG, Weiser JN. Identification, Cloning and Sequencing of the Immunoglobulin A1 Protease Gene of Streptococcus pneumoniae. Infect Immun. 1996;64:3967-3974.

Plaut AG (comment) Trefoil Peptides in Defense of the Gastrointestinal Tract. N Engl J Med. 1997;336:506-7.

Qiu J, Hendrixson DR, Baker EN, Murphy TF, St.Geme III JW, Plaut AG. Human milk lactoferrin inactivates two putative colonization factors expressed by Haemophilus influenzae. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 1998; 95:12641-6.

Mobley HLT, Garner RM, Chippendale GR, Gilbert JV, Kane AV, Plaut AG. Role of Hpn and NixA of Helicobacter pylori in Susceptibility and Resistance to Bismuth and Other Metal Ions. Helicobacter. 1999; 4:162-9.

Plaut AG, Jizhou Q, St Geme III JW.  Human Lactoferrin Proteolytic Activity: analysis of the cleaved region of the IgA protease of Haemophilus influenzae. Vaccine. 2001;19:S148-152.

Joyce EA, Gilbert JV, Eaton KA, Plaut A, Wright A.  Differential Gene Expression from Two Transcriptional Units in the cag Pathogenicity Island of Helicobacter pylori. Infect Immun. 2001;69:4202-4209.

Eaton KA, Gilbert JV, Joyce EA, Wanken AE, Thevenot T, Baker P, Plaut A, Wright A. In Vivo Complementation of ureB Restores the Ability of Helicobacter pylori to Colonize. Infect Immun. 2002; 70:771-8.

Hendrixson DR, Qiu J, Shewry SC, Fink DL, Petty S, Baker EN, Plaut AG St. Geme JWIII. Human milk lactoferrin is a serine protease that cleaves Haemophilus surface proteins at arginine-rich sites. Mol Microbiology. 2003;47:607-617.

Chintalacharuvu KR, Chuang PD, Dragoman A, Fernandez CZ, Qiu J, Plaut AG, Trinh KR, Gala FA, Morrison SL. Cleavage of the human immunoglobulin A1 (IgA1) hinge region by IgA1 proteases requires structures in the Fc region of IgA. Infect Immun. 2003; 1:2563-70.

Plaut AG. IgA-specific metalloendopeptidase. In: Handbook of Proteolytic Enzymes. Second Edition, edited by Barrett A.J., Rawlings N.D, and Woessner, J.F.  Elsevier Academic Press, London. 2004:772-776.

Verrnachio, L, Vezina, RM, Mitchell, AA, Lesko, SM, Plaut AG and Acheson, DWK.Diarrhea in American Infants and Young Children in the Community Setting: Incidence, Clinical Presentation, and Microbiology. J Ped Infect Dis. 2006;25:2-7.

Webster P, Wu S, Gomez G, Apicella M, Plaut AG, St Geme JW 3rd.  Distribution of Bacterial Proteins in Biofilms Formed by Non-typeable Haemophilus Influenzae. J Histochem Cytochem. 2006;54:829-42.

Wanyiri, JW, O’Connor, R, Allison, G, Kim,K, Kane,A, Qiu,J, Plaut, AG, Ward,HD. Proteolytic processing of the Cryptosporidium spp. glycoprotein gp40/15 by human furin and by a parasite-derived furin-like protease activity. Infect Immun. 2007 Jan;75(1):184-922.

Fasching, CE, Grossman, T, Corthsy, B, Plaut, AG, Weiser JN, and Janoff, EN. Impact of the Molecular Form of IgA on Functional Activity in Defense Against Streptococcus pneumoniae. Infect Immun. 2007; 75:1801-10.

Lamm, ME., Emancipator, SN, Robinson JK, Michifumi, Y;Fujioka, H, Qiu, J and Plaut, AG.  Microbial IgA Protease Removes IgA Immune Complexes from Mouse Glomeruli In Vivo: Potential Therapy for IgA Nephropathy. Am. J. Path. 2008;172(1):31-36.

Saravanan C, Cao Z, Kumar J, Qiu J, Plaut AG, Newburg DS, Panjwani N. Milk components inhibit acanthamoeba-induced cytopathic effect. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2008 Mar;49(3):1010-5.

Johnson TA, Qiu J, Plaut AG, Holyoak T. Active-site gating regulates substrate selectivity in a chymotrypsin-like serine protease the structure of Haemophilus influenzae immunoglobulin A1 protease. J Mol Biol. 2009 Jun 12;389(3):559-74. Epub 2009 Apr 23. PubMed PMID: 19393662.

Active Research Support/Grants

1 R21 DK 071675 (PI: Plaut)
07/01/06 - 06/30/08
NIH/NIDDK
IgA protease Therapy of IgA Nephropathy
This study is an initial investigation of the efficacy of IgA protease in removing or solubilizing IgA
immune complexes deposited in glomeruli of animals (marmosets and mice) with experimental
models of the naturally occurring human disease.

1UL1RR025752-01(PI: Selker)
5/19/2008 – 04/30/2013
NIH, NCRR
Tufts Clinical Translational Science Institute
This Clinical and Translational Science Award supports and instills the culture of cooperative interdisciplinary research by creating a new home for clinical and translational research across the University and clinical affiliates.

No grant number
06/01/09 – 11/30/09
BioMarin, Incorporated, Novato, CA
IgA Proteases for the Treatment of Human IgA Nephropathy
This is a sponsored research agreement, with discrete goals.