Andrew Benson, Professor
Department of Food Science and Technology
330 Food Industry Complex
Lincoln, Nebraska 68583-0919 United States

Research Areas:
1. Genome evolution in pathogenic bacteria. Comparative genomics, phylogenetics, and molecular biology are used to identify important events in the genome of pathogenic bacteria and understand the effects of genes and pathways marked by these events.
2. Evolution and development of gut microflora. 16S rRNA fingerprinting and sequencing is being used to examine development of the highly complex gut microflora in mammalian model systems, with the ultimate goal of identifying host genes that affect gut flora development.

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2012

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Murine Gut Microbiota Is Defined by Host Genetics and Modulates Variation of Metabolic Traits, Autumn M. McKnite, Maria Elisa Pérez-Muñoz, Lu Lu, Evan Graehl Williams, Simon C. Brewer, Pénélope A. Andreux, John W. M. Bastiaansen, Xusheng Wang, Stephen D. Kachman, Johan Auwerx, Robert W. Williams, Andrew K. Benson, Daniel A. Peterson, and Daniel C. Ciobanu

2010

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Individuality in gut microbiota composition is a complex polygenic trait shaped by multiple environmental and host genetic factors, Andrew K. Benson, Scott A. Kelly, Ryan Legge, Fangrui Ma, Soo Jen Low, Jaehyoung Kim, Min Zhang, Phaik Lyn Oh, Derrick Nehrenberg, Kunjie Hua, Stephen D. Kachman, Etsuko N. Moriyama, Jens Walter, Daniel A. Peterson, and Daniel Pomp

2009

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Diet-Induced Metabolic Improvements in a Hamster Model of Hypercholesterolemia Are Strongly Linked to Alterations of the Gut Microbiota, Inés Martínez, Chaomei Zhang, Ryan Legge, Andrew K. Benson, Timothy P. Carr, Etsuko N. Moriyama, and Jens Walter

2007

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Genome Evolution in Major Escherichia coli O157:H7 Lineages, Yongxiang Zhang, Chad Laing, Marina Steele, Kim Ziebell, Roger Johnson, Andrew K. Benson, Eduardo Taboada, and Victor Gannon

2006

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Paired-End Sequence Mapping Detects Extensive Genomic Rearrangement and Translocation during Divergence of Francisella tularensis subsp. tularensis and Francisella tularensis subsp. holarctica Populations, Michael P. Dempsey, Joseph Nietfeldt, Jaques Ravel, Steven H. Hinrichs, Robert Crawford, and Andrew K. Benson

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Identification of a Putative Operon Involved in Fructooligosaccharide Utilization by Lactobacillus paracasei, Yong Jun Goh, Andrew K. Benson, Vicki Schlegel, Jong-Hwa Lee, and Robert W. Hutkins

2005

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Functional Consequences of Genome Evolution in Listeria monocytogenes: the lmo0423 and lmo0422 Genes Encode σC and LstR, a Lineage II-Specific Heat Shock System, Chaomei Zhang, Joseph Nietfeldt, Min Zhang, and Andrew K. Benson

2004

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Catabolite Repression and Virulence Gene Expression in Listeria monocytogenes, Stefanie Evans Gilbreth, Andrew K. Benson, and Robert W. Hutkins

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DNA Sequence Analysis of Regions Surrounding blaCMY-2 from Multiple Salmonella Plasmid Backbones, W.P. Giles, Andrew K. Benson, M.E. Olson, Robert W. Hutkins, J.M. Whichard, P.L. Winokur, and P.D. Fey

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Regulation of Transcription of Compatible Solute Transporters by the General Stress Sigma Factor, σB, in Listeria monocytogenes, Mehmet Sevket Cetin, Chaomei Zhang, Robert W. Hutkins, and Andrew K. Benson

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Regulation of Transcription of Compatible Solute Transporters by the General Stress Sigma Factor, σB, in Listeria monocytogenes, Mehmet Sevket Cetin, Chaomei Zhang, Robert W. Hutkins, and Andrew K. Benson

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Identification of Common Subpopulations of Non-Sorbitol-Fermenting, β-Glucuronidase-Negative Escherichia coli O157:H7 from Bovine Production Environments and Human Clinical Samples, Zhijie Yang, Joy Kovar, Jaehyoung Kim, Joseph Nietfeldt, David R. Smith, Rodney A. Moxley, Michael E. Olson, Paul D. Fey, and Andrew K. Benson

2003

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Characterization of Escherichia coli O157:H7 from Downer and Healthy Dairy Cattle in the Upper Midwest Region of the United States, C. M. Byrne, I. Erol, J. E. Call, C. W. Kaspar, D. R. Buege, C. J. Hiemke, P. J. Fedorka-Cray, Andrew K. Benson, F. M. Wallace, and J. B. Luchansky

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Genome Diversification in Phylogenetic Lineages I and II of Listeria monocytogenes: Identification of Segments Unique to Lineage II Populations, Chaomei Zhang, Min Zhang, Jingliang Ju, Joseph Nietfeldt, John Wise, Phillip M. Terry, Michael Olson, Stephen D. Kachman, Martin Wiedmann, Mansour Samadpour, and Andrew K. Benson

2001

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Ancestral Divergence, Genome Diversification, and Phylogeographic Variation in Subpopulations of Sorbitol-Negative, β-Glucuronidase- Negative Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157, Jaehyoung Kim, Joseph Nietfeldt, Jingliang Ju, John Wise, Narelle Fegan, Patricia Desmarchelier, and Andrew K. Benson

2000

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Role of σB in Adaptation of Listeria monocytogenes to Growth at Low Temperature, Lynne A. Becker, Stefanie N. Evans, Robert W. Hutkins, and Andrew K. Benson

1999

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Mutational Analysis of the Role of HPr in Listeria monocytogenes, Douglas P. Christensen, Andrew K. Benson, and Robert W. Hutkins

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Octamer-based genome scanning distinguishes a unique subpopulation of Escherichia coli O157:H7 strains in cattle, Jaehyoung Kim and Andrew K. Benson

1998

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Identification of the Gene Encoding the Alternative Sigma Factor σB from Listeria monocytogenes and Its Role in Osmotolerance, Lynne A. Becker, Mehmet Sevket Cetin, Robert W. Hutkins, and Andrew K. Benson

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Cloning and Expression of the Listeria monocytogenes Scott A ptsH and ptsI Genes, Coding for HPr and Enzyme I, Respectively, of the Phosphotransferase System, Douglas P. Christensen, Andrew K. Benson, and Robert W. Hutkins

1995

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Global Regulation of a σ54-Dependent Flagellar Gene Family in Caulobacter crescentus by the Transcriptional Activator FlbD, Jianguo Wu, Andrew K. Benson, and Austin Newton

1994

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The Caulobacter crescentus FlbD protein acts at ftr sequence elements both to activate and to repress transcription of cell cycle-regulated flagellar genes, Andrew K. Benson, Girija Ramakrishnan, Noriko Ohta, Junli Feng, Alexander J. Ninfa, and Austin Newton

1993

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The σB-Dependent Promoter of the Bacillus subtilis sigB Operon Is Induced by Heat Shock, Andrew K. Benson and W. G. Haldenwang