Biography
Education
D.P.H. University of California, Los Angeles
Research Specialties
I have three major research interests. The first is the continued exploration of methane producing bacteria as a unified physiological, biochemical, and genetic model system. I am also interested in isolation and identification of extremophiles for evolutionary purposes, and finally, the identification and isolation of environmentally important bacteria involved in the remediation of toxic wastes. These three groups of bacteria survive and grow in unusually "extreme" environmental habitats. Such habitats may place constraints of pH, salt, or temperature on the physiology of these organisms, forcing them to develop unique molecular solutions which may be harnessed for technological applications. I'm currently developing a genetic vector capable of transferring DNA between methanogens and other bacteria. This work includes techniques of genetic transformation, gene manipulation, gene cloning, DNA isolation and purification, and other molecular genetic techniques. My primary effort on extremophiles is the isolation, identification, enzymology, and physiology of these unique organisms. Such studies will suggest how these organisms evolved, and how these organisms might be applied to existing or new industrial processes and the problems of toxic waste remediation.
Representative Publications
Medina, P and L. Baresi. 2007. Rapid Identification of Gelatin and Casein Hydrolysis Using TCA. Journal of Microbial Methods 69:391-393.
Welty, L.A., E.L. Heinrich, K. Garcia, L.Banner, M. Summers, L. Baresi, S. Metzenberg, C. Coyle-Thompson, and S. Oppenheimer. 2005. Analysis of Unconventional Histochemical Approaches for the Rapid Detection of Surface Lectin Receptors on Human Cell Lines. Acta Histochemica. 107:435-442.
Weisbart RH, Hansen JE, Nishimura RN, Chan G, Walken R, Chang SS, Baresi L, and Chamberlain JS. 2005. An intracellular delivery vehicle for protein transduction of micro-dystrophin. Journal of Drug Targeting 13:81-87.
Huang CH, Garcia JL, Patel BKC, Cayol JL, Baresi L, Mah RA. 1999. Salinivibrio costicola subsp. vallismortis subsp. nov., a halotolerant facultative anaerobe from Death Valley and emended description of Salinivibrio costicola. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol. 50: 615-622.
Tsu, I-H., C-Yu Huang, J.-L Garcia, B.K. Patel, J-L Cayol, L. Baresi, and R.A. Mah. 1998. Isolation and characterization of Desulfovibrio senezii, sp. nov., a halotolerant sulfate reducer from a solar saltern and phlogenetic confirmation of Desulfovibrio fructosovorans as a new species. Arch. Microbiol. 170:313-317.
Huang, Chi-Yu, B.K. Patel, R.A. Mah, and L. Baresi. 1998. Caldicellulosiruptor owensensis, sp. nov., an anaerobic, extremely thermophilic, xylanolytic bacterium. Inter. J. Systematic Bacteriology 48:91-97.
Tsai, C.-R., J.-L. Garcia, B.K.C. Patel, J.-L. Cayol, L. Baresi, and R.A. Mah. 1995. Haloanaerobium alcaliphilum sp. nov., an Anaerobic Moderate Halophile from the Sediments of Great Salt Lake, Utah. Intern. J. of Systematic Bacteriology 45:301-305.
Baresi, L. and R. Kern. 1991. Waste treatment integration in space. Waste management & research: The Journal of the International Solid Wastes and Public Cleansing Association, ISWA. 9: 485-490.
Smith, M. R. and L. Baresi. 1989. Methane Estimation for Methanogenic and Methanotrophic Bacteria. In: Modern Methods of Plant Analysis, (Linskens/Jackson, eds.), Springer-Verlag, New York.
Bertani, G. and L. Baresi. 1987. Genetic transformation in the methanogen Methanococcus voltae PS. J. Bacteriol. 169:2730-2738.
Baresi, L. 1984. Methanogenic Cleavage of Acetate by Lysates of Methanosarcina barkeri. J. Bacteriol. 160:365-370.
Baresi, L. and R.S. Wolfe. 1981. Levels of F420, CoM, Hydrogenase, and Methyl-CoM Methylreductase in a Acetate Grown Methanosarcina. Applied Environ. Microbiology, 41:388-391.
Mah, R.A., M.R. Smith and L. Baresi. 1978. Studies on an Acetate Fermenting Strain of Methanosarcina. Applied Environ. Microbiology, 35:1174-1184.
Baresi, L. R.A. Mah, D.M. Ward and I.R. Kaplan. 1978. Methanogenesis from Acetate: Enrichment Studies. Applied. Environ. Microbiology, 36:186-197.
Mah, R.A., D.M. Ward, L. Baresi and T.L. Glass. 1977. Biogenesis of Methane. Annual Review of Microbiolgy, 31:309-341