School of Biological Sciences
Dr. Nickerson is a Microbial Physiologist and Biochemist with broad interests in bacterial, fungal, and algal systems. Research areas have included: fungal dimorphism in Candida albicans and Ceratocystis ulmi; farnesol as a quorum sensing molecule (QSM) produced by C. albicans; farnesol’s mode of action as a QSM and as a virulence factor; anaerobic growth of C. albicans; urea metabolism in C. albicans and other fungi; biotinylated histones in C. albicans; chlamydospore formation in C. albicans; high cell density QSMs from diatoms and other algae; microbial ecology of alkaline lakes in Western Nebraska. Past research areas included: Bacillus thuringiensis and other microbial insecticides, mechanisms of bacterial detergent resistance, and the physiological functions of polyamines in microbes. His lab and office were in the Beadle Center.
2022
Genome Sequence of SN1, a Bacteriophage That Infects Sphaerotilus natans and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, K.M. Damitha Gunathilake, Denise M. Tremblay, Pier-Luc Plante, Ellen Jensen, Kenneth Nickerson, and Sylvain Moineau
2021
Farnesol secretion as a possible driving force for maintaining Candida albicans as a diploid, Kenneth Nickerson, Cory Boone, and Kory Parker
Sterol Biosynthesis in Four Green Algae: A Bioinformatic Analysis of the Ergosterol Versus Phytosterol Decision Point, Adam Voshall, Nakeirah T.M. Christie, Suzanne L. Rose, Maya Khasin, James L. Van Etten, Jennifer E. Markham, Wayne Riekhof, and Kenneth Nickerson
2019
Histone acetylation increases in response to ferulic, gallic, and sinapic acids acting synergistically in vitro to inhibit Candida albicans yeast‐to‐hyphae transition, Cristiane R. S. Câmara, Qin-Yin Shi, Matthew Pedersen, Richard Zbasnik, Kenneth Nickerson, and Vicki Schlegel
Microbial Community of Saline, Alkaline Lakes in the Nebraska Sandhills Based on 16S rRNA Gene Amplicon Sequence Data, Nicole A. Fiore, David D. Dunigan, Julie J. Shaffer, Ryan Roberts, Sanjay Antony-Babu, Bradley A. Plantz, Kenneth W. Nickerson, Andrew K. Benson, and Karrie A. Weber
2018
Synthesis, secretion, and perception of abscisic acid regulates stress responses in Chlorella sorokiniana, Maya Khasin, Rebecca E. Cahoon, Sophie Alvarez, Richard Beckeris, Seong-il Eyun, Qidong Jia, Jean-Jack Riethoven, Kenneth Nickerson, and Wayne R. Riekhof
Molecular machinery of auxin synthesis,secretion, and perception in the unicellular chlorophyte alga Chlorella sorokiniana UTEX 1230, Maya Khasin, Rebecca E. Cahoon, Kenneth Nickerson, and Wayne R. Riekhof
2017
How Science Makes America Great, Kenneth Nickerson
Deciphering fungal dimorphism: Farnesol’s unanswered questions, Kenneth Nickerson and Audrey L. Atkin
Quorum sensing in Candida albicans: farnesol versus farnesoic acid, Wayne R. Riekhof and Kenneth Nickerson
2016
Killer toxin from several food-derived Debaryomyces hansenii strains effective against pathogenic Candida yeasts, Nabaraj Banjara, Kenneth Nickerson, Mallory J. Suhr, and Heather E. Hallen-Adams
Biotin Auxotrophy and Biotin Enhanced Germ Tube Formation in Candida albicans, Nur Ahmad Hussin, Ruvini U. Pathirana, Sahar Hasim, Swetha Tati, Jessica A. Scheib-Owens, and Kenneth Nickerson
Candida albicans ISW2 Regulates Chlamydospore Suspensor Cell Formation and Virulence In Vivo in a Mouse Model of Disseminated Candidiasis, Dhammika Navarathna, Ruvini U. Pathirana, Michail S. Lionakis, Kenneth W. Nickerson, and David D. Roberts
Comparative genomics, transcriptomics, and physiology distinguish symbiotic from free-living Chlorella strains, Cristian F. Quispe, Olivia Sonderman, Maya Khasin, Wayne R. Riekhof, James L. Van Etten, and Kenneth Nickerson
2015
Proteomic Adaptations to Starvation Prepare Escherichia coli for Disinfection Tolerance, Zhe Du, Renu Nandakumar, Kenneth W. Nickerson, and Xu Li
Candida albicans Quorum Sensing Molecules Stimulate Mouse Macrophage Migration, Jessica C. Hargarten, Tyler C. Moore, Thomas M. Petro, Kenneth W. Nickerson, and Audrey L. Atkin
2014
Quorum sensing activity and control of yeast-mycelium dimorphism in Ophiostoma floccosum, Alexander Berrocal, Claudia Oviedo, Kenneth W. Nickerson, and José Navarrete
A Glutathione-independent Glyoxalase of the DJ-1 Superfamily Plays an Important Role in Managing Metabolically Generated Methylglyoxal in Candida albicans, Sahar Hasim, Nur Ahmad Hussin, Fadhel Alomar, Keshore R. Bidasee, Kenneth W. Nickerson, and Mark A. Wilson
2013
Histone biotinylation in Candida albicans, Sahar Hasim, Swetha Tati, Nandakumar Madayiputhiya, Renu Nandakumar, and Kenneth W. Nickerson
Candida albicans Czf1 and Efg1 Coordinate the Response to Farnesol during Quorum Sensing, White-Opaque Thermal Dimorphism, and Cell Death, Melanie L. Langford, Jessica C. Hargarten, Krista D. Patefield, Elizabeth Marta, Jill R. Blankenship, Saranna Fanning, Kenneth W. Nickerson, and Audrey L. Atkin
Candida albicans Czf1 and Efg1 Coordinate the Response to Farnesol during Quorum Sensing, White-Opaque Thermal Dimorphism, and Cell Death, Melanie L. Langford, Jessica C. Hargarten, Krista D. Patefield, Elizabeth Marta, Jill R. Blankenship, Saranna Fanning, Kenneth W. Nickerson, and Audrey L. Atkin
Comparative binding of Cry1Ab and Cry1F Bacillus thuringiensis toxins to brush border membrane proteins from Ostrinia nubilalis, Ostrinia furnacalis and Diatraea saccharalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) midgut tissue, Sek Yee Tan, Bonifacio F. Cayabyab, Edwin P. Alcantara, Fangneng Huang, Kanglai He, Kenneth Nickerson, and Blair Siegfried
2012
Quorum sensing activity in Ophiostoma ulmi: effects of fusel oils and branched chain amino acids on yeast-mycelial dimorphism, A. Berrocal, J. Navarrete, C. Oviedo, and K. W. Nickerson
Urea Amidolyase (DUR1,2) Contributes to Virulence and Kidney Pathogenesis of Candida albicans, Dhammika H. M. L. P Navarathna, Michail S. Lionakis, Martin J. Lizak, Jeeva Munasinghe, Kenneth W. Nickerson, and David D. Roberts
Quorum Sensing and Other Aspects of the Biology of Candida albicans, Kenneth W. Nickerson
Thoughts on Quorum Sensing and Fungal Dimorphism, Kenneth W. Nickerson, Audrey L. Atkin, Jessica C. Hargarten, Ruvini U. Pathirana, and Sahar Hasim
Thoughts on Quorum Sensing and Fungal Dimorphism, Kenneth W. Nickerson, Audrey L. Atkin, Jessica C. Hargarten, Ruvini U. Pathirana, and Sahar Hasim
Reducing odorous VOC emissions from swine manure using soybean peroxidase and peroxides, David B. Parker, Lingshuang Cai, Ki-Hyun Kim, Kristin E. Hales, Mindy J. Spiehs, Bryan L. Woodbury, Audrey L. Atkin, Kenneth Nickerson, and Krista D. Patefield
2011
Zap1 Control of Cell-Cell Signaling in Candida albicans Biofilms, Shantanu Ganguly, Andrew C. Bishop, Wenjie Xu, Suman Ghosh, Kenneth W. Nickerson, Frederick Lanni, Jana Patton-Vogt, and Aaron P. Mitchell
Dur3 is the major urea transporter in Candida albicans and is co-regulated with the urea amidolyase Dur1,2, Dhammika H. M. L. P Navarathna, Aditi Das, Joachim Morschhauser, Kenneth W. Nickerson, and David D. Roberts
Molecular evolution of urea amidolyase and urea carboxylase in fungi, Pooja K. Strope, Kenneth W. Nickerson, Steven D. Harris, and Etsuko N. Moriyama
2010
Candida albicans cellwall components and farnesol stimulate the expression of both inflammatory and regulatory cytokines in the murine RAW264.7 macrophage cell line, Suman Ghosh, Nina Howe, Katie Volk, Swetha Tati, Kenneth W. Nickerson, and Thomas M. Petro
Activity and Toxicity of Farnesol towards Candida albicans Are Dependent on Growth Conditions, Melanie L. Langford, Sahar Hasim, Kenneth W. Nickerson, and Audrey L. Atkin
Evolutionary aspects of urea utilization by fungi, Dhammika H. M. L. P Navarathna, Steven D. Harris, David D. Roberts, and Kenneth W. Nickerson
2009
Arginine-Induced Germ Tube Formation in Candida albicans Is Essential for Escape from Murine Macrophage Line RAW 264.7, Suman Ghosh, Dhammika H. M. L. P. Navarathna, David D. Roberts, Jake T. Cooper, Audrey L. Atkin, Thomas M. Petro, and Kenneth W. Nickerson
Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Other E. coli Strains Share Physiological Properties Associated with Intestinal Colonization, Lisa Jacobsen, Lisa Durso, Tyrell Conway, and Kenneth W. Nickerson
An Essay on Evolution: Evolution and The Origin of Life are Separate and Distinct Concepts, Kenneth Nickerson
Microbiology of Oil Fly Larvae, Kenneth Nickerson and Bradley A. Plantz
2008
Regulation of Aromatic Alcohol Production in Candida albicans, Suman Ghosh, Bessie W. Kebaara, Audrey L. Atkin, and Kenneth W. Nickerson
Candida albicans Tup1 Is Involved in Farnesol-Mediated Inhibition of Filamentous-Growth Induction, Bessie W. Kebaara, Melanie L. Langford, Dhammika H. M. L. P. Navarathna, Raluca Dumitru, Kenneth W. Nickerson, and Audrey L. Atkin
Influence of heterocyclic and oxime-containing farnesol analogs on quorum sensing and pathogenicity in Candida albicans, Roman Shchepin, Dhammika H.M.L.P. Navarathna, Raluca Dumitru, Shane Lippold, Kenneth W. Nickerson, and Patrick Dussault
2007
In Vivo and In Vitro Anaerobic Mating in Candida albicans, Raluca Dumitru, Dhammika H.M.L.P. Navarathna, Camile P. Semighini, Christian G. Elowsky, Razvan Dumitru, Daniel Dignard, Malcom Whiteway, Audrey L. Atkin, and Kenneth W. Nickerson
Effect of Farnesol on a Mouse Model of Systemic Candidiasis, Determined by Use of a DPP3 Knockout Mutant of Candida albicans, Dhammika H.M.L.P. Navarathna, Jacob M. Hornby, Navasona Krishnan, Anne M. Parkhurst, Gerald E. Duhamel, and Kenneth W. Nickerson
Exogenous Farnesol Interferes with the Normal Progression of Cytokine Expression during Candidiasis in a Mouse Model, Dhammika H. M. L. P. Navarathna, Kenneth W. Nickerson, Gerald E. Duhamel, Thomas R. Jerrels, and Thomas M. Petro
Evaluation of Metals in a Defined Medium for Pichia pastoris Expressing Recombinant β-Galactosidase, Bradley A. Plantz, Kenneth W. Nickerson, Stephen D. Kachman, and Vicki L. Schlegel
2006
Farnesol restores wild-type colony morphology to 96% of Candida albicans colony morphology variants recovered following treatment with mutagens, Ellen C. Jensen, Jacob M. Hornby, Nicole E. Pagliaccetti, Chuleeon M. Wolter, Kenneth Nickerson, and Audrey L. Atkin
Determination of mRNA half-lives in Candida albicans using thiolutin as a transcription inhibitor, Bessie W. Kebaara, Lindsey E. Nielsen, Kenneth Nickerson, and Audrey L. Atkin
Quorum Sensing in Dimorphic Fungi: Farnesol and Beyond, Kenneth W. Nickerson, Audrey L. Atkin, and Jacob M. Hornby
Pichia pastoris fermentation optimization: energy state and testing a growth-associated model , Bradley A. Plantz, Jayanta Sinha, Lorelie Villarete, Kenneth W. Nickerson, and Vicki Schlegel
Farnesol-induced apoptosis in Aspergillus nidulans reveals a possible mechanism for antagonistic interactions between fungi, Camile P. Semighini, Jacob M. Hornby, Raluca Dumitru, Kenneth W. Nickerson, and Steven D. Harris
2005
Surface Display of Recombinant Proteins on Bacillus thuringiensis Spores, Cheng Du, Wing C. Chan, Timothy W. McKeithan, and Kenneth W. Nickerson
Farnesol Concentrations Required To Block Germ Tube Formation in Candida albicans in the Presence and Absence of Serum, Daniel D. Mosel, Raluca Dumitru, Jacob M. Hornby, Audrey L. Atkin, and Kenneth W. Nickerson
Enhanced pathogenicity of Candida albicans pre-treated with subinhibitory concentrations of fluconazole in a mouse model of disseminated candidiasis, Dhammika H.M.L.P. Navarathna, Jacob M. Hornby, Natasha Hoerrmann, Anne M. Parkhurst, Gerald E. Duhamel, and Kenneth Nickerson
Survey of Extreme Solvent Tolerance in Gram-Positive Cocci: Membrane Fatty Acid Changes in Staphylococcus haemolyticus Grown in Toluene, Lindsey E. Nielsen, Dana R. Kadavy, Soumitra Rajagopal, Rhae A. Drijber, and Kenneth W. Nickerson
Biologically Active Fluorescent Farnesol Analogs, Roman Shchepin, Razvan Dumitru, Kenneth W. Nickerson, Miranda Lund, and Patrick Dussault
2004
Defined Anaerobic Growth Medium for Studying Candida albicans Basic Biology and Resistance to Eight Antifungal Drugs, Raluca Dumitru, Jacob M. Hornby, and Kenneth W. Nickerson
High phosphate (up to 600 mM) induces pseudohyphal development in five wild type Candida albicans, Jacob M. Hornby, Raluca Dumitru, and Kenneth Nickerson
Inoculum Size Effect in Dimorphic Fungi: Extracellular Control of Yeast-Mycelium Dimorphism in Ceratocystis ulmi, Jacob M. Hornby, Sarah M. Jacobitz-Kizzier, Donna J. McNeel, Ellen C. Jensen, David S. Treves, and Kenneth W. Nickerson
Enhanced Production of Farnesol by Candida albicans Treated with Four Azoles, Jacob M. Hornby and Kenneth Nickerson
Activity of gut proteinases from Cry1Ab-selected colonies of the European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), Herbert A. A. Siqueira, Kenneth Nickerson, Daniel Moellenbeck, and Blair D. Siegfried
2003
Farnesol Biosynthesis in Candida albicans: Cellular Response to Sterol Inhibition by Zaragozic Acid B, Jacob M. Hornby, Bessie W. Kebaara, and Kenneth W. Nickerson
Eight Gram-negative bacteria are 10,000 times more sensitive to cationic detergents than to anionic detergents, Soumitra Rajagopal, Nicole Eis, and Kenneth Nickerson
Quorum Sensing in Candida albicans: Probing Farnesol’s Mode of Action with 40 Natural and Synthetic Farnesol Analogs, Roman Shchepin, Jacob M. Hornby, Erin Burger, Timothy Niessen, Patrick H. Dussault, and Kenneth Nickerson
Phenotype of the Triplo-lethal locus of Drosophila melanogaster and its suppression by hyperoxia, Laura K. Smoyer, Douglas R. Dorer, Kenneth W. Nickerson, and Alan C. Christensen
2002
Ornithine Decarboxylase Encoded by Chlorella Virus PBCV-1, Tiara A. Morehead, James R. Gurnon, Byron Adams, Kenneth Nickerson, Lisa A. Fitzgerald, and James L. Van Etten
Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate Hypersensitivity of clpP and clpB Mutants of Escherichia coli, Soumitra Rajagopal, Narasimhan Sudarsan, and Kenneth W. Nickerson
2001
Quorum Sensing in the Dimorphic Fungus Candida albicans Is Mediated by Farnesol, Jacob M. Hornby, Ellen C. Jensen, Amber C. Lisec, Joseph J. Tasto, Brandon Jahnke, Richard Shoemaker, Patrick Dussault, and Kenneth W. Nickerson
2000
Natural Antibiotic Resistance of Bacteria Isolated from Larvae of the Oil Fly, Helaeomyia petrolei, Dana R. Kadavy, Jacob M. Hornby, Terry Haverkost, and Kenneth W. Nickerson
Influence of Infected Cell Growth State on Bacteriophage Reactivation Levels, Dana R. Kadavy, Julie J. Shaffer, Susan E. Lott, Thomas A. Wolf, Cathy E. Bolton, William H. Gallimore, Eugene L. Martin, Kenneth W. Nickerson, and Tyler A. Kokjohn
1999
Microbiology of the Oil Fly, Helaeomyia petrolei, Dana R. Kadavy, Bradley A. Plantz, Christopher A. Shaw, Jill Myatt, Tyler A. Kokjohn, and Kenneth Nickerson
Chlorella Virus PBCV-1 Encodes a Functional Homospermidine Synthase, Annette Kaiser, Michael Vollmert, Dorothea Tholl, Michael V. Graves, James Gurnon, Weimei Xing, Amber D. Lisec, Kenneth Nickerson, and James L. Van Etten
1998
Metathesis-based synthesis of jasmonate and homojasmonate lactones, candidates for extracellular quorum sensing molecules in Candida albicans, Su C. Cho, Patrick Dussault, Amber D. Lisec, Ellen C. Jensen, and Kenneth W. Nickerson
Prevalence of Broad-Host-Range Lytic Bacteriophages of Sphaerotilus natans, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Ellen C. Jensen, Holly S. Schrader, Brenda Rieland, Thomas L. Thompson, Kit W. Lee, Kenneth W. Nickerson, and Tyler A. Kokjohn
1996
Bacillus thuringiensis HD-73 Spores Have Surface-Localized Cry1Ac Toxin: Physiological and Pathogenic Consequences, Cheng Du and Kenneth Nickerson
The Bacillus thuringiensis Insecticidal Toxin Binds Biotin-Containing Proteins, Cheng Du and Kenneth Nickerson
1994
Comparison of Disulfide Contents and Solubility at Alkaline pH of Insecticidal and Noninsecticidal Bacillus thuringiensis Protein Crystals, Cheng Du, Phyllis A.W. Martin, and Kenneth W. Nickerson
1993
Nonenzymatic Glycosylation of Lepidopteran-Active Bacillus thuringiensis Protein Crystals, Meenakshi Bhattacharyi, Bradley A. Plantz, Jane D. Swanson-Kobler, and Kenneth W. Nickerson
1992
The Entner-Doudoroff Pathway in Escherichia coli Is Induced for Oxidative Glucose Metabolism via Pyrroloquinoline Quinone-Dependent Glucose Dehydrogenase, Ronda Fliege, Suxiang Tong, Annemarie Shibata, Kenneth W. Nickerson, and Tyrrell Conway
Lipoxygenase Inhibitors Shift the Yeast/Mycelium Dimorphism in Ceratocystis ulmi, Ellen C. Jensen, Clyde Ogg, and Kenneth W. Nickerson
1991
Nutritional Complementation of Oxidative Glucose Metabolism in Escherichia coli via Pyrroloquinoline Quinone-Dependent Glucose Dehydrogenase and the Entner-Doudoroff Pathway, Michael Adamowicz, Tyrrell Conway, and Kenneth W. Nickerson
Detergent (Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate) Shock Proteins in Escherichia coli, Michael Adamowicz, Philip M. Kelley, and Kenneth W. Nickerson
Insect immune response to bacterial infection is mediated by eicosanoids, David W. Stanley-Samuelson, Ellen Jensen, Kenneth Nickerson, Kristina C. Tiebel, Clyde Ogg, and Ralph W. Howard
1990
Toxicity of Protease-Resistant Domains from the Delta-Endotoxin of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis in Culex quinquefasciatus and Aedes aegypti Bioassays, Mary Ann Pfannenstiel, William C. Cray Jr., Graham Couche, and Kenneth W. Nickerson
1987
Structural Disulfide Bonds in the Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis Protein Crystal, Graham A. Couche, Mary A. Pfannenstiel, and Kenneth W. Nickerson
The Glycoprotein Toxin of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis Indicates a Lectinlike Receptor in the Larval Mosquito Gut, Ganapathy Muthukumar and Kenneth Nickerson
Amino Sugars in the Glycoprotein Toxin from Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis, Mary Ann Pfannenstiel, Ganapathy Muthukumar, Graham A. Couche, and Kenneth W. Nickerson
1986
Immunological Relationships among Proteins Making Up the Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis Crystalline Toxin, Mary Ann Pfannenstiel, Graham A. Couche, Elise J. Ross, and Kenneth W. Nickerson
Analysis of Mosquito Larvicidal Potential Exhibited by Vegetative Cells of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis, Corey J. Walther, Graham A. Couche, Mary Ann Pfannenstiel, Sara E. Egan, Lisa A. Bivin, and Kenneth W. Nickerson
1985
Calmodulin Levels in the Yeast and Mycelial Phases of Ceratocystis ulmi, Ganapathy Muthukumar, Rajiv K. Kulkarni, and Kenneth W. Nickerson
Stability of the Larvicidal Activity of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis: Amino Acid Modification and Denaturants, Mary Ann Pfannenstiel, Graham A. Couche, Ganapathy Muthukumar, and Kenneth Nickerson
1984
Prevalence of extreme detergent resistance among the Enterobacteriaceae, Vance Kramer, Kenneth Nickerson, Nancy V. Hamlett, and Caroline O'Hara
Ca(II)-Calmodulin Regulation of Fungal Dimorphism in Ceratocystis ulmi, Ganapathy Muthukumar and Kenneth W. Nickerson
Bioassay of Solubilized Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis Crystals by Attachment to Latex Beads, Danny J. Schnell, Mary Ann Pfannenstiel, and Kenneth W. Nickerson
1983
Toxicity of Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis Crystals to Aedes aegypti Larvae: Carbonate Reversal, Danny J. Schnell and Kenneth Nickerson
1982
Purification of Poly-3-Hydroxybutyrate by Density Gradient Centrifugation in Sodium Bromide, Kenneth W. Nickerson
1980
Growth of Enterobacter cloacae in the Presence of 25% Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate, Vance C. Kramer, Diane M. Calabrese, and Kenneth W. Nickerson
Incorporation of Specific Fatty Acid Precursors During Spore Germination and Outgrowth in Bacillus thuringiensis, Kenneth W. Nickerson and Lee A. Bulla Jr.
1978
Purification of the Protein Crystal from Bacillus thuringiensis by Zonal Gradient Centrifugation, Kenneth W. Nickerson and Barabara J. Ang
1977
Absence of Spermine in Filamentous Fungi, Kenneth W. Nickerson, Larry D. Dunkle, and James L. Van Etten
1975
Lipid Metabolism During Bacterial Growth, Sporulation, and Germination: an Obligate Nutritional Requirement in Bacillus thuringiensis for Compounds That Stimulate Fatty Acid Synthesis, Kenneth W. Nickerson and Lee A. Bulla Jr.