The Howe Lab

27

Lee, J.*; Yamoa, M. Y.; Bradley, C. L.; Howe, G. W.*; Zechel, D. L.* Application of the YebF secretion pathway in Escherichia coli for rapid, on-plate screening of PETase libraries for improved activity. RSC. Chem. Biol. 2026, accepted. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/D6CB00090H

26.

Hengmu Xie, H.; Hwang, D.; Yoo, S. Y.; Ma, J.; Howe, G. W.*; Baik, M.-H.*; Evans, P. E.* Catalytic Stereochemical Relay for the Enantioselective Synthesis of Acyclic Quaternary Stereocenters. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2026, accepted.

25.

Cleveland, M. E.*; Bunyat-zada, A. R.; Hoffman, E. R.; Howe, G. W.* Towards the Bioremediation of Nylon Waste Materials: Genome Mining Leads to the Identification of a Thermostable Laurolactamase from Thermopolyspora flexuosa. ChemSusChem 2026, 19, e202501964. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/cssc.202501964

Included in the “Sustainability Talents” collection highlighting “emerging scientists who will shape the future of sustainable chemistry”

24.

Smith, N. T.; Hodgins, A. J.; Boddington, M. E.; Capicciotti, C. J.; diCenzo, G. C.*; Howe, G. W.* Phylogenetic and Biochemical Analysis of the Evolution and Interdomain Modularity of Bifunctional L-Fucokinase/GDP-Fucose Pyrophosphorylases. J. Biol. Chem. 2025, 301, 110937. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbc.2025.110937

23.

Grenade, N. L.; Feng, Y.; Perrino, E. H.; Ross, A. C.*; Howe, G. W.* Characterization of a novel fatty acid-modifying pathway in the biosynthesis of tambjamine BE-18591 in Streptomyces. J. Nat. Prod. 2025, 88, 2645. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jnatprod.5c00989

22.

Hu, Z.; Klupt, K.; Zechel, D. L.; Jia, Z.; Howe, G. W.* Mining Thermophile Genomes for New PETases with Exceptional Thermostabilities using Sequence Similarity Networks. ChemBioChem 2025, 26, e202500065. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/cbic.202500065

Included in the ChemBioChem Readers' Choice 2026 Collection

21.

Smith, N. T.°; Boukherissa, A.°; Antaya, K.; Howe, G. W.; de la Vega, R. C. R.; Shykoff, J. A.; Alunni, B.; diCenzo, G. C. Taxonomic distribution of SbmA/BacA and BacA-like antimicrobial peptide transporters suggests independent recruitment and convergent evolution in host-microbe interactions. Microb. Genomics 2025, 11, 001380. [° indicates joint authorship] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1099/mgen.0.001380

20

Manasa, R.; Innis, J. L. M.; Yu, J.; Howe, G. W.; Sauriol, F.; Oleschuk, R.; Ross, A. C. Activation of Primary C-H Bonds in Oxidative Cyclizations of Tambjamines Catalyzed by Rieske Oxygenases TamC and PtTamC. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2025, 147, 3937. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.4c17468

19.

Hoffman, E. R.; Rangaswamy, A. M. M.; Cleveland, M. E.; Keillor, J. W.; Howe, G. W.* Targeted Genome Mining Facilitates the Discovery of a Promiscuous, Hyperthermostable Amidase from Thermovenabulum gondwanense with Notable Nylon-Degrading Capacity. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2025, 64, e202414842. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202414842

Graeme was profiled in Angewandte Chemie’s “Introducing…” section – Vol. 64, e202422422.

18.

Grenade, N. L.; Howe, G. W.* Intramolecular Cyclization and a Retro-Ene Reaction Enable the Rapid Fragmentation of a Vitamin B1-derived Breslow Intermediate. Chem. Eur. J. 2024, 30, e202401106. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/chem.202401106

17.

Bunyat-zada, A. R.; Ducharme, S. E.; Cleveland, M. E.; Hoffman, E. R.; Howe, G. W.* Genome mining leads to the identification of a stable and promiscuous Baeyer-Villiger monooxygenase from a thermophilic microorganism. ChemBioChem 2024, 25, e202400443. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/cbic.202400443

16.

Grenade, N. L.; Chiriac, D. S.; Pasternak, A. R. O.; Babulic, J. L.; Rowland, B. E.; Howe, G. W.*; Ross, A. C.* Discovery of a Tambjamine Gene Cluster in Streptomyces Suggests Convergent Evolution in Bipyrrole Natural Product Biosynthesis. ACS Chem. Biol. 2023, 18, 223. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acschembio.2c00685

Highlighted as the Front Cover article – Vol. 18, Issue 2.

15.

Howe, G. W.*; Grenade, N. L. Sulfite-Catalyzed Nucleophilic Substitution Reactions with Thiamin and Analogous Pyrimidine Donors Proceed via an SₙAE Mechanism. J. Org. Chem. 2022, 87, 13224. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.joc.2c01685

14.

Grenade, N. L.; Howe, G. W.; Ross, A. C. The Convergence of Bacterial Natural Products From Evolutionarily Distinct Pathways. Curr. Opin. Biotechnol. 2021, 69, 17. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copbio.2020.10.009

13.

Howe, G. W.°; van der Donk, W. A°. Temperature Independent Kinetic Isotope Effects as Evidence for a Marcus-like Model of Hydride Tunneling in Phosphite Dehydrogenase. Biochemistry 2019, 58, 4260. [° indicates corresponding authorship] DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.9b00732

12.

Bielecki, M.; Howe, G. W.; Kluger, R. Competing Protonation and Halide Elimination as a Probe of the Character of Thiamin-Derived Reactive Intermediates. Biochemistry 2019, 58, 3566. DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.9b00298

11.

Howe, G. W.°; van der Donk, W. A°. Oxygen-18 Kinetic Isotope Effects Reveal an Associative Transition State for Phosphite Dehydrogenase Catalyzed Phosphoryl Transfer. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2018, 140, 17820. [° indicates corresponding authorship] DOI: 10.1021/jacs.8b06301.

10.

Bielecki, M.; Howe, G. W.; Kluger R. Charge Dispersion and Its Effects on the Reactivity of Thiamin-Derived Breslow Intermediates. Biochemistry 2018, 57, 3867. DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.8b00463

9.

Vandersteen, A. A.*; Howe, G. W.*; Lollar, B. S.; Kluger, R. Carbon Kinetic Isotope Effects and the Mechanisms of Acid-Catalyzed Decarboxylation of 2,4-Dimethoxybenzoic Acid and Carbon Dioxide Incorporation into 1,3-Dimethoxybenzene J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2017, 139, 15049. [* indicates joint authorship] DOI: 10.1021/jacs.7b07504

8.

Heidari, Y.; Howe, G. W.; Kluger R. The Reactivity of Lactyl-Oxythiamin Implies the Role of the Aminopyrimidine in Thiamin Catalyzed Decarboxylation. Bioorg. Chem. 2016, 69, 153. DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2016.10.008

7.

Howe, G. W.*; Vandersteen, A. A.*; Kluger, R. How Acid-Caatalyzed Decarboxylation of 2,4-Dimethoxybenzoic Acid Avoids Formation of Protonated Carbon Dioxide. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2016, 138, 7568. [* indicates joint authorship] DOI: 10.1021/jacs.6b01770

6.

Bielecki, M.; Howe, G. W.; Kluger, R. Lithium-Stabilized Nucleophilic Addition of Thiamin to a Ketone Provides an Efficient Route to Mandelylthiamin, a Critical Pre-Decarboxylation Intermediate. Bioorg. Chem. 2015, 62, 124. [* indicates joint authorship] DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2015.08.004

5.

Howe, G. W.; Kluger, R. Decarboxylation without Carbon Dioxide: Why Bicarbonate Forms Directly as Trichloroacetate Is Converted to Chloroform. J. Org. Chem. 2014, 79, 10972. DOI: 10.1021/jo501990u

4.

Kluger, R.; Howe, G. W.; Mundle, S. O. C. Avoiding Carbon Dioxide in Catalysis of Decarboxylation. Adv. Phys. Org. Chem. 2013, 47, 85. DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-12-407754-6.00002-8

3.

Howe, G. W.; Bielecki, M.; Kluger, R. Base-Catalyzed Decarboxylation of Mandelylthiamin: Direct Formation of Bicarbonate as an Alternative to Formation of Carbon Dioxide. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2012, 134, 20621. DOI: 10.1021/ja310952a

Article spotlighted in JACS - J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2013, 135, 1165.

2.

Mundle, S. O. C.; Howe, G. W.; Kluger, R. Origins of Steric Effects in General-Base-Catalyzed Enolization: Solvation and Electrostatic Attention. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2012, 134, 1066. DOI: 10.1021/ja2085959

1.

Jahnke, A. A.; Howe, G. W.; Seferos, D. S. Polytellurophenes with Properties Controlled by Tellurium-Coordination. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2010, 49, 10140. DOI: 10.1002/anie.201005664