Link to GOOGLE SCHOLAR PROFILE

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REPRESENTATIVE PUBLICATIONS

*Co-first authors
#Co-corresponding authors
Shikuma Lab Members
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Maria I. Rojas*, Giselle S. Cavalcanti*, Katelyn McNair, Sean Benler, Amanda T. Alker, Ana G. Cobián-Güemes, Melissa Giluso, Kyle Levi, Forest Rohwer, Sinem Beyhan, Robert A. Edwards, Nicholas J. Shikuma (2019). A Distinct Contractile Injection System Found in a Majority of Adult Human Microbiomes. bioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/865204

• We found that human gut bacteria produce a yet undescribed injection system. These new injection systems are present in the gut microbiomes of nearly all adult humans from the United States and Europe. 

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C Ericson*, F Eisenstein*, J Medeiros, K Malter, G Cavalcanti, RW Zeller, DK Newman, M Pilhofer# and NJ Shikuma# (2019). A Contractile Injection System Stimulates Tubeworm Metamorphosis by Translocating a Proteinaceous Effector. eLife. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.46845.

• A collaborative work between Zeller, Newman, Pilhofer and Shikuma Labs.​
• Published back-to-back in eLife with a paper from Nick Waterfield's lab, Univ. of Warwick.
• News Coverage: National Public Radio.
• News Coverage: BioTechniques: 'Death Stars' from bacteria.
• News Coverage: Medical Xpress: From the bottoms of boats to the human gut.

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I Rocchi*, C Ericson*, KE Malter*, S Zargar, F Eisenstein, M Pilhofer, S Beyhan# and NJ Shikuma# (2019). A Bacterial Phage Tail-like Structure Kills Eukaryotic Cells by Injecting a Nuclease Effector. Cell Reports, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2019.06.019. 

• A collaborative work between Pilhofer, Beyhan and Shikuma Labs.​
• News Coverage: San Diego Union Tribute "Bacterial Syringes."
• Recommended by Faculty of 1000.
• Top 5% of all research outputs scored by Altmetric on BioRxiv.

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NJ Shikuma*‡, I Antoshechkin*, J Medeiros, M Pilhofer and DK Newman (2016) Stepwise metamorphosis of the tubeworm Hydroides elegans is mediated by a bacterial inducer and MAPK signaling. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 10.1073/pnas.1603142113. 

• Editors’ Choice: A. Mushegian (2016) Science Signaling 445(9).
• News Coverage: The Economist "Keeping Ships Clean, Foul Play".
• News Coverage: Popular Science "Bacteria probably cause of barnacles sticking to ships".
• News Coverage: SDSU News Center "Fighting Barnacle Buildup with Biology".

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​NJ Shikuma*, M Pilhofer*, GL Weiss, MG Hadfield#, GJ Jensen# and DK Newman# (2014) Marine tubeworm metamorphosis induced by arrays of bacterial phage tail-like structures. Science 343:529-533. 

• Editors’ Choice: C. Ash (2014) Science Signaling 311(7).
• News Coverage: AAAS “Bacterial Harpoon Triggers Tubeworm Metamorphosis”.
• News Coverage: The Scientist “Settlement Signal”. ​

NJ Shikuma, JCN Fong and FH Yildiz (2012) Cellular levels and binding of c-di-GMP control subcellular localization and activity of the Vibrio cholerae transcriptional regulator VpsT. PLoS Pathogens 8(5):e1002719.

PV Krasteva, JCN Fong, NJ Shikuma, S Beyhan, MVAS Navarro, FH Yildiz and H Sondermann (2010) Vibrio cholerae VpsT regulates matrix production and motility by directly sensing cyclic di-GMP. Science 327:866-868.
 
NJ Shikuma and FH Yildiz (2009) Identification and characterization of OscR, a transcriptional regulator involved in osmolarity adaptation in Vibrio cholerae. Journal of Bacteriology 191:4082-4096.

• Guest commentary: PV Dunlap (2009) J Bacteriol 191:4053-4055. 

NJ Shikuma*, JCN Fong*, LS Odell*, BS Perchuk, MT Laub and FH Yildiz (2009) Overexpression of VpsS, a hybrid sensor kinase, enhances biofilm formation in Vibrio cholerae. Journal of Bacteriology 191:5147-5158.