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Dr. Marjorie Jones

Professor, Biochemistry
Chemistry
Office
Science Laboratory Building - SLB 320
Office Hours
Tues. 4-5 p.m. & Thurs. 3-4 p.m. or by appointment
  • About
  • Education
  • Awards & Honors
  • Research

Biography

Biochemist (B.S., M.S., Ph.D.) who came to ISU in 1985 and teachs in the Chemistry Department.

Current Courses

343.001Biochemistry Laboratory

343.002Biochemistry Laboratory

342.001General Biochemistry I

299.058Independent Honor Study

299.011Independent Honor Study In Chemistry

499.011Independent Research For The Master's Thesis

290.034Research In Biological Sciences

290.011Research in Chemistry

490.011Research In Chemistry

Teaching Interests & Areas

General Biochemistry and Biochemistry labs as well as courses in Lipids, Carbohydrates, and Biological Catalysts AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS: (Registered Student Organization) RSO Advisor of the Year Award 2011 College Outstanding Service Award 2009-2010 ISU Outstanding Teacher Award, College of Arts and Sciences (1990) ISU Distinguished Science Teacher Award (1997) Faculty Fellow of CeMaST at ISU (2008) Treasurer for Local Section of ACS in 2009-2010 ISU Faculty Dorm Mentor of the Year Award for 2005-06 Chemist of the Year for the Illinois Heartland Local Section of the American Chemical Society (2006)

Research Interests & Areas

Research Directions for the Jones' Lab: Choline is a molecule used to make the membrane component phosphatidylcholine. Although most organisms make their own choline, one type of parasitic protozoans, called Leishmania, is not able to do so and therefore must get the choline from their hosts. These parasitic protozoans infect more than 20-25 million people world-wide and some 350 million people are at risk since they live in areas where Leishmania diseases are endemic. At least 12 species of the genus Leishmania are human pathogens and other species infect animals such as horses, cows, dogs, as well as reptiles. Such diseases can be expressed as skin infections, infections in the mucus membranes of mouth and throat, as well as infections in the internal organs. There are very few good therapies currently being used to treat human Leishmania diseases. This is, in part, because the treatments are expensive, have severe side effects, and drug resistance is also developing. Thus a major area of research in the Jones' Lab is the use of unique inorganic and organic molecules such as choline derivatives as potential cytotoxic agents for Leishmania diseases. We test various compounds for their ability to affect the growth of these protozoans in culture. We specifically use the Leishmania tarentolae species which is not pathogenic for humans but is for reptiles. We can thus safely use this species which is easily cultured as our model system. Microscopic changes in cell shape, size, and motility as well as analysis for cell viability are done following addition of derivatives at various concentrations. We are working to determine the mechanism of cytotoxicity of the effective compounds. We are also testing some metal complexes (especially vanadium) to assess their potential toxicity for Leishmania. The long term goal is to develop these various classes of materials as selective pharmaceutical drugs to treat human or domestic animal Leishmania diseases.

Ph D Biochemistry

University of Texas Health Science Center
San Antonio, Texas

Selected as local ACS Distinguished Service Award recipient (April 2018)

2018

2011 Founders Day Bell Ringing Ceremony

2011

RSO Advisor of the Year Award

RSO
2011

Outstanding University Service Award

ISU
2010

Faculty Appreciation Dinner

ISU
2010

Book, Chapter

Invited Book Chapter (Chapter 4 entitled ‘Palm Trees and Fruits Residues’ Usage for Human Health'), C.F. Apuzzo* and M.A. Jones as authors; In: Palm Trees and Fruits Residues: Recent Advances for Integrated and Sustainable Management; Meidi Jeguirim, Besma Khiari, and Salah Jellali, editors. Elsevier. Sept 2022
Chapter 13: Title: Fuel ethanol production from lignocellulosic materials using recombinant yeasts. Authors: Stephen R. Hughes, Marjorie A. Jones, Nasib Qureshi.
Chapter 6: Title: The global demand for biofuels and biotechnology-derived commodity chemicals: technologies, markets, and challenges. Authors: Stephen R. Hughes, Marjorie A. Jones, Nasib Qureshi.
Invited book chapter (chapter 6, entitled: Nutraceuticals and Metabolic Syndrome. Jacob A. Walker, Benjamin M. Dorsey, and Marjorie A. Jones), pages 167-195. In Nutraceuticals & Natural Product Pharmaceuticals, ed. Dr. Charis Galanakis, Elsevier, August 2019. Academic Press Paperback ISBN: 978012816450, first edition.
112. Invited to write book chapter (entitled “antioxidant capacity, immune response, anti-inflammatory activity, and potential pharmaceutical applications of by-products”) in “Handbook of Coffee Processing By-products: Sustainable Applications”. Co-authors Benjamin M. Dorsey and Marjorie A. Jones. (Elsevier-Academic Press; editor Dr. Charis M. Galanakis). Published June 2017, pages 27-62 (Chapter 2).

Journal Article

Linda M. Ferrence, Akshata Gajula, Marjorie A. Jones*. Surprising Effects of Rocking Motion on Leishmania tarentolae Behavior in Culture and Implications for Cell Stress;
Stresses 2023, 3(3), 605-614; https://doi.org/10.3390/stresses3030042.
Jones as corresponding author.
This was an invited manuscript.
Shariq M. Zaman and Marjorie A. Jones, Potent Inhibitory Activity of Natural Product Anaephene B and Analogues Against Leishmania tarentolae In Vitro; invited article for a Special Issue on “Advances on Natural Products: Isolation, Identification and Biological Activity” for the journal Molecules January 2023, 28 (3):946.Jones as corresponding author
2022. Brain Sciences, 12 (11): 14 pages open access
Yawson, Gideon K.; Will, Mark F.; Huffman, Samantha E.; Strandquist, Evan T.; Bothwell, Paige J.; Oliver, Ethan B.; Platt, David C.; Apuzzo, C. Fiore; Weitzel, Christopher S.; Jones, Marjorie A.; Ferrence, Gregory M.; Hamaker, Christopher G.; Webb, Michael I. “A Dual-Pronged Approach: A Ruthenium(III) Complex That Modulates Amyloid-β Aggregation and Disrupts Its Formed Aggregates” Inorganic Chemistry, 2022, 61, 2733-2744.
Wall, Brendan J.; Will, Mark F.; Yawson, Gideon K.; Bothwell, Paige J.; Platt, David C.; Apuzzo, C. Fiore; Jones, Marjorie A.; Ferrence, Gregory M.; Webb, Michael I. “The Importance of Hydrogen Bonding: Structure-Activity Relationships of Ruthenium(III) Complexes for Alzheimer’s Disease Therapy with Pyridine-based Ligands” Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 2021, 64, 10124-10138 ( = each author contributed equally to this work)

Manuscript

C. Fiore Apuzzo, Eirin Sullivan, David C. Platt, Ian Seger-Held, and Marjorie A. Jones. Leishmania tarentolae response to Bi3+-doped strontium aluminum oxyfluorides and protease inhibition. Heliyon, September 2021, 7 (9) e07896.
David C Platt, Jonathan Rink, Kamaljit Braich, Craig C. McLauchlan, Marjorie A Jones “2’-3’-Cyclic Nucleotide 3’-Phosphodiesterase Inhibition by Organometallic Vanadium Complexes: A Potential New Paradigm for studying CNS Degeneration. Brain Sciences, 2021, 11(5), 588-593
Edward W. Li, Hamaker, C., Katinas, J.M., Jones, M.A. Structural characterization of naphthalene sulfonamides and a sulfonate ester and their in vitro efficacy against Leishmania tarentolae promastigotes; New Journal of Chemistry, 2021, 45, 4791 - 4801 DOI: 10.1039/d0nj06320g

Presentations

In vitro inhibitory activity of anaephene B and Analogues against Leishmania tarentolae. ISU Symposium. (2022)
Purification of Secreted Acid Phosphatase from Leishmania tarentolae. ISU Research Symposium. Department of Chemistry. (2022)
Expansion of a fundraising initiative to support student travel and research grants at Illinois State University. 243rd ACS National Meeting. ACS. (2012)
Amastigote but not Promastigote of Leishmania are inhibited by a Molybdenum containing Polyoxometalate. 241st National ACS Meeting. ACS. (2011)
Development of a new fundraising initiative to support student travel and research grants at Illinois State University. 241st ACS National Meeting. ACS. (2011)
Photodynamic therapy of cutaneous leishmaniasis. ISTC Workshop, Domestic antineoplastic drugs. ISTC. (2011)
Substantial inhibitory effects of selected azuliporphyrin analogs on the growth of Leishmania cells following light treatment. 241st National ACS Meeting. ACS. (2011)

Grants & Contracts

“2’-3’-Cyclic Nucleotide 3’-Phosphodiesterase Inhibition by Organometallic Vanadium Complexes: A Potential New Paradigm for studying CNS Degeneration.. CAS and ISU Chemistry. Illinois State University. (2021)
Leishmania tarentolae response to Bi3+-doped strontium aluminum oxyfluorides and protease inhibition. CAS/Chemistry. Illinois State University. (2021)
MRI: Acquisition of a Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope to Advance Multidisciplinary Research and Education. NSF. Illinois State University. (2021)
MRI: Acquisition of a laser scanning confocal microscope within a core facility for research and training at Illinois State University. National Science Foundation. Federal. (2018)