John Samuelson | Profiles RNS

John C Samuelson, MD, PhD

Professor

Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine

Molecular & Cell Biology

MD, Harvard Medical School
PhD, Harvard Medical School
BA, Swarthmore College

Websites

	Dental Medicine Molecular & Cell Biology Research Faculty
	Microbiology Faculty
	ResearchGate
	National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories Faculty

ORCID : 0000-0001-9533-3040

Our lab studies the glycobiology of protozoan parasites that cause diarrhea (Cryptosporidium and Giardia), dysentery (Entamoeba), birth defects (Toxoplasma), and blindness (Acanthamoeba). In particular, we use mass spectrometric, biochemical, and genetic methods to characterize sugars added to glycoproteins, as well as the enzymes that make or remove these sugars (glycosyltransferases and glycosyl hydrolases, respectively). For example, we showed that asparagine-linked glycans (N-glycans) of Cryptosporidium have a single mannose arm that is hardly modified and so is distinct from complex, highly modified N-glycans of the host. In contrast, Cryptosporidium vaccine candidates have mucin-like domains densely modified with O-GalNAc that resemble host intestinal mucins. We discovered a large set of nuclear proteins of Toxoplasma that are decorated with O-linked fucose and showed that O-fucosyltransferase is a homolog of plant Spindly. The host is lacking Spindly but has an O-GlcNAc transferase with a similar structure to Spindly that modifies an even larger set of nucleocytosolic proteins. We also identified a second Toxoplasma O-fucosyltransferase that modifies a secreted protein MIC2, which is essential for parasite adherence to and invasion into host cells.

The Samuelson lab also studies sugar polymers and glycoproteins present in cyst and oocyst walls of these parasites, which are critical for their transmission from person to person. The simple model we have developed is that these walls contain sugar polymers similar to those in fungal and plant walls: chitin (Entamoeba), glucan (Toxoplasma), and cellulose, chitin, and xylan (Acanthamoeba). In contrast to fungi and plants, glycoproteins in the parasite walls are few and are for the most part lectins (proteins that bind sugars), which bind the sugar polymers. These wall lectins are unique to each parasite and may be targets for diagnostic reagents. Finally, we have explored the potential use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers to prevent transmission of Giardia, Entamoeba, and Acanthamoeba.

Professor
Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
Virology, Immunology & Microbiology

Faculty
Boston University
National Emerging Infectious Disease Lab

Member
Boston University
Genome Science Institute

Member
Boston University
Bioinformatics Graduate Program

Graduate Faculty (Primary Mentor of Grad Students)
Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Graduate Medical Sciences

BU Research
NIH RePORTER Research

Decoding the mitochondrial proteomes of six pathogenic protozoa
11/01/2022 - 10/31/2025 (PI)
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

The Biochemistry and Cell Biology of the Spindly O-fucosyltransferase of Toxoplasma
01/01/2020 - 11/30/2024 (PI)
NIH/National Institute of General Medical Sciences
5R01GM129324-04

Structure and development of oocyst and sporocyst walls
08/01/2015 - 01/31/2020 (PI)
NIH/National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases
5R01AI110638-05

Genetic modification of cultured Cryptosporidium to test the autoinfection model
02/01/2017 - 01/31/2019 (PI)
NIH/National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases
5R21AI130889-02

Glycobiology of Giardia
05/01/2011 - 04/30/2017 (PI)
NIH/National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases
5R01AI048082-10

Roles for Beta 1,3-glucan in oocyst walls of Toxoplasma and Eimeria
04/01/2013 - 03/31/2014 (PI)
Mizutani Foundation for Glycosciences

Multiple Lectin Model of the Cyst Wall of Entamoeba
03/01/2000 - 02/28/2013 (PI)
NIH/National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases
5R01AI044070-10

Title

Yr	Title	Project-Sub Proj	Pubs
2023	The Biochemistry and Cell Biology of the SpindlyO-fucosyltransferase of Toxoplasma	5R01GM129324-04
2022	The Biochemistry and Cell Biology of the SpindlyO-fucosyltransferase of Toxoplasma	5R01GM129324-03
2021	The Biochemistry and Cell Biology of the Spindly O-fucosyltransferase of Toxoplasma	5R01GM129324-02
2020	The Biochemistry and Cell Biology of the Spindly O-fucosyltransferase of Toxoplasma	1R01GM129324-01A1
2019	Structure and Development of Oocyst and Sporocyst Walls	5R01AI110638-05	9
2018	Genetic modification of cultured Cryptosporidium to test the autoinfection model	5R21AI130889-02	1
2018	Structure and Development of Oocyst and Sporocyst Walls	5R01AI110638-04	9
2017	Genetic modification of cultured Cryptosporidium to test the autoinfection model	1R21AI130889-01	1
2017	Structure and Development of Oocyst and Sporocyst Walls	5R01AI110638-03	9
2016	Structure and Development of Oocyst and Sporocyst Walls	5R01AI110638-02	9

Showing 10 of 50 results. Show All Results

Publications listed below are automatically derived from MEDLINE/PubMed and other sources, which might result in incorrect or missing publications. Faculty can login to make corrections and additions.

iCite Analysis Copy PMIDs To Clipboard

Tiwari M, Gas-Pascual E, Goyal M, Popov M, Matsumoto K, Grafe M, Graf R, Haltiwanger RS, Olszewski N, Orlando R, Samuelson J, West CM. Novel antibodies detect nucleocytoplasmic O-fucose in protist pathogens, cellular slime molds, and plants. bioRxiv. 2024 Oct 22. PMID: 39464065; PMCID: PMC11507795; DOI: 10.1101/2024.10.15.618526;

Sundararaj BK, Goyal M, Samuelson J. Identification of new targets for the diagnosis of cysts (four) and trophozoites (one) of the eye pathogen Acanthamoeba. bioRxiv. 2024 Oct 17. PMID: 39463995; PMCID: PMC11507896; DOI: 10.1101/2024.10.16.618517;

Kanakapura Sundararaj B, Goyal M, Samuelson J. Cellulose binding and the timing of expression influence protein targeting to the double-layered cyst wall of Acanthamoeba. mSphere. 2024 Sep 25; 9(9):e0046624.View Related Profiles.

Kanakapura Sundararaj, Bharath
Samuelson, John
Goyal, Manish

PMID: 39136454; PMCID: PMC11423589; DOI: 10.1128/msphere.00466-24;

van der Wel H, Garcia AM, Gas-Pascual E, Willis MM, Kim HW, Bandini G, Gaye MM, Costello CE, Samuelson J, West CM. Spindly is a nucleocytosolic O-fucosyltransferase in Dictyostelium and related proteins are widespread in protists and bacteria. Glycobiology. 2023 Apr 19; 33(3):225-244.View Related Profiles.

Costello, Catherine
Samuelson, John
Gaye, Maissa

PMID: 36250576; PMCID: PMC10114647; DOI: 10.1093/glycob/cwac071;

Liu L, Veis J, Reiter W, Motari E, Costello CE, Samuelson JC, Ammerer G, Levin DE. Regulation of Pkc1 Hyper-Phosphorylation by Genotoxic Stress. J Fungi (Basel). 2021 Oct 17; 7(10).View Related Profiles.

Costello, Catherine
Levin, David
Motari, Edwin
Samuelson, John

PMID: 34682295; PMCID: PMC8541566; DOI: 10.3390/jof7100874;

Bandini G, Agop-Nersesian C, van der Wel H, Mandalasi M, Kim HW, West CM, Samuelson J. The nucleocytosolic O-fucosyltransferase SPINDLY affects protein expression and virulence in Toxoplasma gondii. J Biol Chem. 2020 Nov 23; 296:100039. PMID: 33410402

Magistrado-Coxen P, Aqeel Y, Lopez A, Haserick JR, Urbanowicz BR, Costello CE, Samuelson J. The most abundant cyst wall proteins of Acanthamoeba castellanii are lectins that bind cellulose and localize to distinct structures in developing and mature cyst walls. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2019 05; 13(5):e0007352.View Related Profiles.

Costello, Catherine
Samuelson, John
Haserick, John
Aqeel, Yousuf

PMID: 31095564; PMCID: PMC6541295; DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0007352;

Bandini G, Albuquerque-Wendt A, Hegermann J, Samuelson J, Routier FH. Protein O- and C-Glycosylation pathways in Toxoplasma gondii and Plasmodium falciparum. Parasitology. 2019 12; 146(14):1755-1766.View Related Profiles.

Bandini, Giulia
Samuelson, John

PMID: 30773146; PMCID: PMC6939170; DOI: 10.1017/S0031182019000040;

Bandini G, Leon DR, Hoppe CM, Zhang Y, Agop-Nersesian C, Shears MJ, Mahal LK, Routier FH, Costello CE, Samuelson J. O-Fucosylation of thrombospondin-like repeats is required for processing of microneme protein 2 and for efficient host cell invasion by Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites. J Biol Chem. 2019 02 08; 294(6):1967-1983.View Related Profiles.

Costello, Catherine
Bandini, Giulia
Samuelson, John

PMID: 30538131; PMCID: PMC6369279; DOI: 10.1074/jbc.RA118.005179;

Showing 10 of 126 results. Show More

Gas-Pascual E, Ichikawa HT, Sheikh MO, Serji MI, Deng B, Mandalasi M, Bandini G, Samuelson J, Wells L, West CM. CRISPR/Cas9 and glycomics tools for Toxoplasma glycobiology. J Biol Chem. 2019 01 25; 294(4):1104-1125.View Related Profiles.

Bandini, Giulia
Samuelson, John

PMID: 30463938; PMCID: PMC6349120; DOI: 10.1074/jbc.RA118.006072;

Dubey R, Harrison B, Dangoudoubiyam S, Bandini G, Cheng K, Kosber A, Agop-Nersesian C, Howe DK, Samuelson J, Ferguson DJP, Gubbels MJ. Differential Roles for Inner Membrane Complex Proteins across Toxoplasma gondii and Sarcocystis neurona Development. mSphere. 2017 Sep-Oct; 2(5).View Related Profiles.

Bandini, Giulia
Samuelson, John

PMID: 29062899; PMCID: PMC5646244; DOI: 10.1128/mSphere.00409-17;

Haserick JR, Klein JA, Costello CE, Samuelson J. Cryptosporidium parvum vaccine candidates are incompletely modified with O-linked-N-acetylgalactosamine or contain N-terminal N-myristate and S-palmitate. PLoS One. 2017; 12(8):e0182395.View Related Profiles.

Costello, Catherine
Samuelson, John
Haserick, John

PMID: 28792526; PMCID: PMC5549699; DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0182395;

Aqeel Y, Rodriguez R, Chatterjee A, Ingalls RR, Samuelson J. Killing of diverse eye pathogens (Acanthamoeba spp., Fusarium solani, and Chlamydia trachomatis) with alcohols. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2017 Feb; 11(2):e0005382.View Related Profiles.

Chatterjee, Aparajita
Samuelson, John
Rodriguez, Raquel
Ingalls, Robin
Aqeel, Yousuf

PMID: 28182670; PMCID: PMC5321442; DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0005382;

Haserick JR, Leon DR, Samuelson J, Costello CE. Asparagine-Linked Glycans of Cryptosporidium parvum Contain a Single Long Arm, Are Barely Processed in the Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) or Golgi, and Show a Strong Bias for Sites with Threonine. Mol Cell Proteomics. 2017 Apr; 16(4 suppl 1):S42-S53.View Related Profiles.

Costello, Catherine
Samuelson, John
Haserick, John

PMID: 28179475; PMCID: PMC5393390; DOI: 10.1074/mcp.M116.066035;

Sanz S, López-Gutiérrez B, Bandini G, Damerow S, Absalon S, Dinglasan RR, Samuelson J, Izquierdo L. The disruption of GDP-fucose de novo biosynthesis suggests the presence of a novel fucose-containing glycoconjugate in Plasmodium asexual blood stages. Sci Rep. 2016 11 16; 6:37230.View Related Profiles.

Bandini, Giulia
Samuelson, John

PMID: 27849032; PMCID: PMC5110956; DOI: 10.1038/srep37230;

Bandini G, Haserick JR, Motari E, Ouologuem DT, Lourido S, Roos DS, Costello CE, Robbins PW, Samuelson J. O-fucosylated glycoproteins form assemblies in close proximity to the nuclear pore complexes of Toxoplasma gondii. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2016 10 11; 113(41):11567-11572.View Related Profiles.

Costello, Catherine
Motari, Edwin
Bandini, Giulia
Samuelson, John
Haserick, John
Robbins, Phillips

PMID: 27663739; PMCID: PMC5068260; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1613653113;

Chatterjee A, Bandini G, Motari E, Samuelson J. Ethanol and isopropanol in concentrations present in hand sanitizers sharply reduce excystation of Giardia and Entamoeba and eliminate oral infectivity of Giardia cysts in gerbils. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2015 Nov; 59(11):6749-54.View Related Profiles.

Chatterjee, Aparajita
Motari, Edwin
Bandini, Giulia
Samuelson, John

PMID: 26282413; PMCID: PMC4604385; DOI: 10.1128/AAC.01290-15;

Chatterjee A, Ratner DM, Ryan CM, Johnson PJ, O'Keefe BR, Secor WE, Anderson DJ, Robbins PW, Samuelson J. Anti-Retroviral Lectins Have Modest Effects on Adherence of Trichomonas vaginalis to Epithelial Cells In Vitro and on Recovery of Tritrichomonas foetus in a Mouse Vaginal Model. PLoS One. 2015; 10(8):e0135340.View Related Profiles.

Chatterjee, Aparajita
Anderson, Deborah
Samuelson, John
Robbins, Phillips

PMID: 26252012; PMCID: PMC4529277; DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0135340;

Samuelson J, Robbins PW. Effects of N-glycan precursor length diversity on quality control of protein folding and on protein glycosylation. Semin Cell Dev Biol. 2015 May; 41:121-8.View Related Profiles.

Year	Publications
1980	2
1981	1
1982	3
1984	2
1985	2
1986	1
1989	1
1990	4
1991	1
1992	6
1993	6
1994	6
1995	2
1996	5
1997	8
1998	2
1999	3
2000	7
2001	1
2002	4
2003	2
2005	5
2006	3
2007	6
2008	7
2009	4
2010	7
2011	1
2012	1
2013	2
2014	1
2015	2
2016	2
2017	4
2018	2
2019	2
2020	2
2021	1
2023	1
2024	3