Kurt Piepenbrink
Asst Professor Food Science & Technology University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Contact
- Address
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FIC 1901 N 21st Rm 262
Lincoln NE 68588-6205 - Phone
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402-472-6753 On-campus 2-6753
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kurt.piepenbrink@unl.edu
Research interests
Bacteria, including human commensals and pathogens, use extracellular appendages to interact with their environment including host cells, other bacteria, abiotic surfaces and extracellular structures. Dr. Piepenbrink’s laboratory focuses on type IV filaments, a class of extracellular appendages common to a wide range of bacteria, which his group studies through a combination of integrated structural biology, biochemical characterization of their protein subunits and manipulation of bacterial genetics. Student projects use x-ray crystallography, electron microscopy and computational modelling to understand how pilin subunits are assembled into pilus fibers as well as biochemical characterization of specific binding by pilin proteins.
Education
- BA, The Johns Hopkins University, 2005
- Ph D, The University of Notre Dame, 2011