Postdoctoral fellow
School of Biological Sciences
Georgia Institute of Technology
Email: samantha.mascuch@biosci.gatech.edu
Ph.D. Marine Biology, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, CA, USA
M.S. Oceanography, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, CA, USA
Research Interests:
My research in the Kubanek Laboratory investigates the specialized metabolites of a noxious marine alga. The goals of this project are twofold: (1) to determine whether algal molecules have potential medicinal application and (2) to understand the ecological impacts of these compounds on marine ecosystems. Prior to joining the Kubanek Lab, I completed my Ph.D. under Dr. Lena Gerwick at Scripps Institution of Oceanography where I elucidated the mechanism of action of honaucin A, a cyanobacterial natural product with anti-inflammatory activity.
Publications
Mascuch SJ, Boudreau P, Carland TM, Pierce NT, Olsen J, Hensler M, Nizet V, Dubinsky A, Choi H, Campanale J, Darragh A, Hamdoun A, La Spada A, Gerwick WH, Gaasterland T, Gerwick L. Mechanism of action of the cyanobacterial marine natural product honaucin A. In prep.
Mascuch S.J., Moree W.J., Hsu C.C., Turner G.G., Cheng T.L, Blehert D.S., Kilpatrick A.M., Frick W.F., Dorrestein P.C., and Gerwick L (2015) Direct detection of fungal siderophores on the wings of bats with White Nose Syndrome through the use of microscopy ambient ionization mass spectrometry. PLoS ONE. 10(3): e0119668. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0119668.
Hsu C.C., ElNaggar M.S., Peng Y., Fang J.S., Sanchez L.M., Mascuch S.J., Moller K.A., Alazzeh E.K., Pikula J., Quinn R.A., Zeng Y., Wolfe B.E., Dutton R.J., Gerwick L., Zhang L.X., Liu X.T., Mansson M., and Dorrestein P.C. (2013) Real-time metabolomics on living microorganisms using ambient electrospray ionization flow-probe. Analytical Chemistry. 85(15): 7014-7018.
Sanchez L., Knudsen G., Helbig C., De Muylder G., Mascuch S., Mackey Z., Gerwick L., Clayton C., McKerrow J., and Linington R. (2013) Examination of the mode of action of the Almiramide Family of Natural Products against the Kinetoplastid Parasite Trypanosoma brucei. Journal of Natural Products. 76(4): 630-41.
Choi H., Mascuch S.J., Villa F.A., Byrum T., Teasdale M.E., Smith J.E., Preskitt L.B., Rowley D.C., Gerwick L., and Gerwick W.H. (2012) Honaucins A−C, Potent Inhibitors of Eukaryotic Inflammation and Bacterial Quorum Sensing: Synthetic Derivatives and Structure-activity Relationships. Chemistry & Biology. 19(5): 589-98.
Gerwick L., Boudreau P., Choi H., Mascuch S.J., Villa F.A., Balunas M.J., Malloy K., Teasdale M.E., Rowley D.C. and Gerwick W.H. (2013) Interkingdom signaling by structurally related cyanobacterial and algal secondary metabolites. Phytochemistry Reviews. 12: 459-465.
Guttormsen H.K., Mascuch S.J., West J. and Paoletti L.C. (2009) A Fluorescence-based Opsonophagocytosis Assay to Measure the Functional Activity of Antibody to group B Streptococcus. Human Vaccines. 5(5): 461-466.
Fisher H.S., Mascuch S.J., and Rosenthal G.G. (2009) Multivariate male traits misalign with multivariate female preferences in the swordtail fish, Xiphophorus birchmanni. Animal Behavior. 78(2): 265-269.
Yang H.H., Mascuch S.J., Madoff L.C., and Paoletti L.C. (2008) Recombinant group B Streptococcus Alpha-like Protein 3 is an Effective Immunogen and Carrier Protein. Clinical Vaccine Immunology. 15: 1035-1041.