Joseph T. Barbieri, PhD

Professor, Microbiology & Immunology; Associate Director, Medical Scientist Training Program

Locations

Microbiology & Immunology
BSB B2830

Contact Information

General Interests

Microbial Pathogenesis

Education

PhD, Microbiology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, 1980

Learn more about the Barbieri Lab

Research Interests

My laboratory studies the molecular basis of microbial pathogenesis in Cellular Microbiology where components of the pathogen and host are analyzed to understand the pathogenic process. My research involves the study of bacterial toxins. Several families of bacterial toxins are under investigation: botulinum and tetanus neurotoxins; Certhrax, an ADP-ribosylating exotoxin from Bacillus cereus; and ExoS, a type III cytotoxin of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Testing a Recombinant Form of Tetanus Toxoid as a Carrier Protein for Glycoconjugate Vaccines.

(Oldrini D, Di Benedetto R, Carducci M, De Simone D, Massai L, Alfini R, Galli B, Brunelli B, Przedpelski A, Barbieri JT, Rossi O, Giannelli C, Rappuoli R, Berti F, Micoli F.) Vaccines (Basel). 2023 Nov 28;11(12) PMID: 38140177 PMCID: PMC10747096 12/23/2023
Botulinum Neurotoxin A4 Has a 1000-Fold Reduced Potency Due to Three Single Amino Acid Alterations in the Protein Receptor Binding Domain.

(Tepp WH, Bradshaw M, Gardner AP, Kaufman RL, Barbieri JT, Pellett S.) Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Mar 16;24(6) PMID: 36982762 PMCID: PMC10055998 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85151111423 03/30/2023
Light Chain Role in Action of Botulinum Toxins/Clostridial Neurotoxins

(Gardner A, Barbieri JT.) Handbook of Neurotoxicity, Second Edition. 1 January 2023;2:1145-1154 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85153667632 01/01/2023
How Botulinum Neurotoxin Light Chain A1 Maintains Stable Association with the Intracellular Neuronal Plasma Membrane.

(Gardner AP, Barbieri JT, Pellett S.) Toxins (Basel). 2022 Nov 22;14(12) PMID: 36548711 PMCID: PMC9783275 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85144580787 12/23/2022
Genetically detoxified tetanus toxin as a vaccine and conjugate carrier protein.

(Chang MJ, Ollivault-Shiflett M, Schuman R, Ngoc Nguyen S, Kaltashov IA, Bobst C, Rajagopal SP, Przedpelski A, Barbieri JT, Lees A.) Vaccine. 2022 Aug 19;40(35):5103-5113 PMID: 35871872 PMCID: PMC10336728 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85134728035 07/26/2022
Multiple Domains of Staphylococcal Superantigen-like Protein 11 (SSL11) Contribute to Neutrophil Inhibition.

(Yang C, Barbieri JT, Dahms NM, Chen C.) Biochemistry. 2022 Apr 05;61(7):616-624 PMID: 35285627 PMCID: PMC9817067 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85127145605 03/15/2022
Bacterial toxins in disease production

(Barbieri JT, Pederson KJ.) Virulence Mechanisms of Bacterial Pathogens. 1 June 2022:163-174 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-0008571823 06/01/2022
Resolution of Two Steps in Botulinum Neurotoxin Serotype A1 Light Chain Localization to the Intracellular Plasma Membrane.

(Gardner A, Tepp WH, Bradshaw M, Barbieri JT, Pellett S.) Int J Mol Sci. 2021 Oct 15;22(20) PMID: 34681775 PMCID: PMC8539409 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85116984877 10/24/2021
A Novel High-Potency Tetanus Vaccine.

(Przedpelski A, Tepp WH, Pellett S, Johnson EA, Barbieri JT.) mBio. 2020 Aug 11;11(4) PMID: 32788381 PMCID: PMC7439469 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85089602052 08/14/2020
Tetanus Toxin cis-Loop Contributes to Light-Chain Translocation.

(Zuverink M, Bluma M, Barbieri JT.) mSphere. 2020 May 06;5(3) PMID: 32376703 PMCID: PMC7203457 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85084398090 05/08/2020
Resolving the Molecular Steps in Clostridial Neurotoxin Light Chain Translocation.

(Zuverink M, Barbieri JT.) J Exp Neurol. 2020;1(4):123-134 PMID: 33615314 PMCID: PMC7894615 02/23/2021
Staphylococcal Superantigen-like protein 11 mediates neutrophil adhesion and motility arrest, a unique bacterial toxin action.

(Chen C, Yang C, Barbieri JT.) Sci Rep. 2019 Mar 12;9(1):4211 PMID: 30862940 PMCID: PMC6414612 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85062821069 03/14/2019