Jim Van Etten

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Jim Van Etten

Professor Plant Pathology University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Contact

Address
MOLR 205
Lincoln NE 68583-0900
Phone
402-472-3168 On-campus 2-3168
Email
jvanetten1@unl.edu
Website

Research in the Van Etten laboratory focuses on the isolation and characterization of large icosahedral, dsDNA-containing, plaque-forming viruses that infect certain unicellular, eukaryotic chlorella-like green algae. These viruses are ubiquitous in freshwater from all over the world. The chlorella viruses have genomes as large as 370 kb that contain as many as 400 protein-encoding and 16 tRNA encoding genes. Besides their large genomes, the chlorella viruses have other unexpected features:
 

  1. They encode multiple DNA methyltransferases and DNA restriction endonucleases.
  2. Unlike other glycoprotein-containing viruses, chlorella viruses encode most, if not all, of the components required to glycosylate their proteins.
  3. Many chlorella virus-encoded proteins are either the smallest or among the smallest proteins of their class.

Consequently, these proteins serve as models for mechanistic and structural studies. Infection by the chlorella viruses resembles bacterial infection by tailed bacteriophages in many respects.

Education

1965-66

Postdoc, Molecular Biology - University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
 

1965

PhD, Plant Pathology - University of Illinois, Urbana, IL

1963

MS, Plant Pathology - University of Illinois, Urbana, IL

1960

BA, Biology - Carleton College, Minnesota