F. Wayne Outten Research Group

University of South Carolina-Columbia

Wayne Outten investigates how bacteria handle essential metals without being harmed by them. A major focus is the assembly of iron–sulfur clusters, protein cofactors needed for processes such as respiration, metabolism, and DNA repair. The group studies how the Suf pathway builds these clusters during iron starvation and oxidative stress, using Escherichia coli as a model. Other questions concern metal acquisition, transport, storage, and regulation. The research connects biochemistry and microbial genetics with the possibility of disrupting metal-dependent processes that bacterial pathogens need to survive.