Dr. Jonathan Stoltzfus

Education:

B.S. in Biochemistry, Messiah College (2008)
Ph.D. in Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Pennsylvania (2013)

Courses Taught:

BIOL 101 - Foundations of Biology
BIOL 364 - Foundations of Genetics and Molecular Biology
BIOL 417 - Parasitology
BIOL 462 - Molecular Biology
BIOL 466 - Molecular and Cellular Techniques
BIOL 472 - Seminar: Applications of Genetics

Areas of Specialization:

Genetics, Molecular and Cell Biology, Parasitology, RNA-Seq, Bioinformatics

Research Interest(s):

Molecular Parasitology

I am particularly interested in understanding the molecular mechanisms regulating the infectious process of parasitic worms.  I hope that knowledge gained through the research efforts of my students can be leveraged to improve treatment and control strategies for these parasites, thus potentially improving the lives of thousands of people worldwide.  My research uses the biology of the free-living roundworms Caenorhabditis elegans and Rhabditophanes to inform both molecular and computational investigations of infectious larval development. I am also interested in how these organisms have influenced, and have been influenced by, human genetics through the course of evolution.

Bioinformatics

I am also interested in using next-generation sequencing technologies to examine gene expression in a variety of organisms. These RNA-Seq studies utilize multiple bioinformatics tools to identify differences in gene expression between tissue types, developmental stages, and pharmacological treatments on a genome-wide scale. My students and I actively collaborate with several research groups on these projects.

Selected Publication(s): (* denotes undergraduate student author)

Wang Z, Cheong Cheong M, Tsien J, Deng H, Qin H, Stoltzfus JDC, Jaleta TG, Li X, Lok JB, Kliewer SA, Mangelsdorf DJ (2021) Characterization of the endogenous DAF-12 ligand and its use as an anthelmintic agent in Strongyloides stercoralis. eLife 10:e73535 doi: 10.7554/eLife.73535

*Gonzalez Akimori D, *Dalessandro EJ, Nolan TJ, Stieha CR, Lok JB, Stoltzfus JDC. (2021) Transcriptional profiles in Strongyloides stercoralis males reveal deviations from the Caenorhabditis sex determination model. Scientific Reports. Apr 15;11(1):8254. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-87478-3

Ayoade KO, *Carranza FR, Cho WH, Wang Z, Kliewer SA, Mangelsdorf DJ, Stoltzfus JDC (2020) Dafachronic acid and temperature regulate canonical dauer pathways during Nippostrongylus brasiliensis infectious larvae activation. Parasites & Vectors 13(1):162. doi:10.1186/s13071-020-04035-z

Abdul Halim MF, Rodriguez R, Stoltzfus JD, Duggin IG, Pohlschroder M (2018) Conserved residues are critical for Haloferax volcanii archaeosortase catalytic activity: Implications for convergent evolution of the catalytic mechanisms of non-homologous sortases from archaea and bacteria. Molecular Microbiology May;108(3):276-287. doi: 10.1111/mmi.13935

Lei WQ, Lok JB, Yuan W, Zhang YZ, Stoltzfus JD, Gasser RB, He SY, Zhou H, Zhou R, Zhao JL, Hu M (2017) Structural and developmental expression of Ss-riok-2, an RIO protein kinase encoding gene of Strongyloides stercoralis. Scientific Reports Aug 18;7(1):8693. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-07991-2

Abdul Halim MF, Stoltzfus JD, Schulze S, Hippler M, Pohlschroder M (2017) ArtA-Dependent Processing of a Tat Substrate Containing a Conserved Tripartite Structure That Is Not Localized at the C Terminus. Journal of Bacteriology 199(7) e00802-16. doi: 10.1128/JB.00802-16

Stoltzfus JD, *Pilgrim AA, Herbert DR (2017) Perusal of parasitic nematode 'omics in the post-genomic era. Molecular Biochemical Parasitology Jul;215:11-22. doi: 10.1016/j.molbiopara.2016.11.003

Hunt VL, Tsai IJ, Coghlan A, Reid AJ, Holroyd N, Foth BJ, Tracey A, Cotton JA, Stanley EJ, Beasley H, Bennett H, Brooks K, Harsha B, Kajitani R, Kulkarni A, Harbecke D, Nagayasu E, Nichol S, Ogura Y, Quail MA, Randle N, Xia D, Brattig N, Ribeiro DM, Sanchez-Flores A, Hayashi T, Itoh T, Denver DR, Grant W, Stoltzfus JD, Lok JB, Murayama H, Wastling J, Streit A, Kikuchi T, Viney M, Berriman M (2016) The genomic basis of parasitism in the Strongyloides clade of nematodes. Nature Genetics Feb 1. doi: 10.1038/ng.3495

*Albarqi M, Stoltzfus JD, *Pilgrim AA, Nolan TJ, Wang Z, Kliewer SA, Mangelsdorf DJ, Lok JB (2016) Regulation of life cycle checkpoints and developmental activation of infective larvae in Strongyloides stercoralis by dafachronic acid. PLoS Pathogens 12(1):e1005358. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1005358

Wang Z, Stoltzfus JD, Ranjit N, You Y, Lok JB, Kliewer SA, Mangelsdorf DJ (2014) The nuclear receptor DAF-12 regulates nutrient metabolism and reproductive growth in nematodes. PLoS Genetics 11(3):e1005027. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1005027

Yuan W, Liu Y, Lok JB, Stoltzfus JD, Gasser RB, Lei W, Fang R, Zhao J, Hu M (2014) Exploring features and functions of Ss-riok-3, an enigmatic kinase gene from Strongyloides stercoralis. Parasites and Vectors 7(1):561. doi: 10.1186/s13071-014-0561-z

Yuan W, Lok JB, Stoltzfus JD, Gasser RB, Fang F, Zhou R, Fang R, Zhou Y, Zhao J, Hu M (2014) Structure, phylogeny and expression of Ss-riok-1, a RIO protein kinase-encoding gene from the parasitic nematode Strongyloides stercoralis. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases 8(8):e3062. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0003062

Stoltzfus JD, *Bart SM, and Lok JB (2014) cGMP and NHR Signaling Co-Regulate Expression of Insulin-like Peptides and Developmental Activation of Infective Larvae in Strongyloides stercoralis. PLoS Pathogens 10(7):e1004235. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1004235

Werner JM, Elisavet S, Chepa-Lotrea X, Stoltzfus J, Ahlenstiel G, Noureddin M, Feld JJ, Liang TJ, Rotman Y, Rehermann B (2014) Ribavirin improves the IFN-γ response of natural killer cells to IFN-based therapy of hepatitis C virus infection. Hepatology 60(4):1160-9. doi: 10.1002/hep.27092

Massey HC, Jr., Ranjit N, Stoltzfus JD, Lok JB (2013) Strongyloides stercoralis daf-2 encodes a divergent ortholog of DAF-2 in Caenorhabditis elegans. International Journal for Parasitology 43(7):515-20. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2013.01.008

Stoltzfus JD, Minot S, Berriman M, Nolan TJ, and Lok JB (2012) RNAseq analysis of the parasitic nematode Strongyloides stercoralis reveals divergent regulation of canonical dauer pathways. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases 6(10): e1854. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0001854

Stoltzfus JD, Massey HC, Jr., Nolan TJ, Griffith SD, Lok JB (2012) Strongyloides stercoralis age-1: a potential regulator of infective larval development in a parasitic nematode. PLoS ONE 7(6): e38587. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0038587

Edlich B, Ahlenstiel G, Zabaleta Azpiroz A, Stoltzfus J, Noureddin M, et al. (2012) Early changes in interferon signaling define natural killer cell response and refractoriness to interferon-based therapy of hepatitis C patients. Hepatology 55(1):39-48. doi: 10.1002/hep.24628