Boiteau Lab
Publications
2023
Moffett, J. W., & Boiteau, R. M. (2024). Metal Organic Complexation in Seawater: Historical Background and Future Directions. Annual Review of Marine Science, 16(1). https://doi.org/10.1146/ANNUREV-MARINE-033023-083652
The speciation of most biologically active trace metals in seawater is dominated by complexation by organic ligands. This review traces the history of work in this area, from the early observations that showed surprisingly poor recoveries using metal preconcentration protocols to the present day, where advances in mass spectroscopy and stable isotope geochemistry are providing new insights into the structure, origin, fate, and biogeochemical impact of organic ligands.
Dewey, C; Kaplan, D. I., Fendorf, S., Boiteau, R. M. (2023) Quantitative Separation of Unknown Organic-Metal Complexes by Liquid Chromatography – Inductively Coupled Plasma – Mass Spectrometry. Analytical Chemistry, 95(20), 7960–7967. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.3c00696
Accurately quantifying metal-organic species by LC-ICPMS has remained an analytical challenge due to drifting sensitivities during chromatographic separations. This paper developed a new 'gold standard' methods for separating and quantifying metal species from environmental samples that yields near-quantitative recoveries for a wide range of transition metals.
Miranda, C, Boiteau R. M., McKenna A. M., Knapp A. N. (2023) Quantitative and qualitative comparison of marine dissolved organic nitrogen recovery using solid phase extraction. Limnol. Oceanogr. Methods. In press https://doi.org/10.1002/lom3.10558
Marine dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen (DOC and DON) are major global carbon and nutrient reservoirs, and their characterization relies on extraction methods for preconcentration and salt removal. Existing methods optimize for capturing and describing DOC. This study reports an optimized solid phase extraction strategy to recover marine DON for subsequent molecular characterization. The approach provides a methodological basis for understanding how DON composition varies across the ocean and determine the processes that govern the supply and removal of this critical organic nutrient.
2022
Boiteau, R. M.; Repeta, D. J. Slow Kinetics of Iron Binding to Marine Ligands in Seawater Measured by Isotope Exchange Liquid Chromatography − Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry. (2022) Environmental Science and Technology, 56(6), 3770-3779,. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.1c06922.
Current understanding of dissolved iron (Fe) speciation in the ocean is largely based on liquid chromatography mass spectrometry methods that characterize ligands at a molecular level, but the kinetic and thermodynamic metal-binding properties of these metal species has remained difficult to determine. This paper describes a method for determining Fe–ligand dissociation rate constants (kd) of suites of naturally occurring ligands in seawater by monitoring the exchange of ligand-bound 56Fe with 57Fe using liquid chromatography–inductively coupled mass spectrometry. These measurements provide critical information needed to develop metal speciation models that can deconvolve the molecular complexity found in the environment.
Casey, J. R.; Boiteau, R. M.; Engqvist, M. K. M.; Finkel, Z. V; Li, G.; Liefer, J.; Müller, C. L.; Muñoz, N.; Follows, M. J. Basin-Scale Biogeography of Marine Phytoplankton Reflects Cellular-Scale Optimization of Metabolism and Physiology. Science Adv. 2022, 8 (3). https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abl4930.
Phytoplankton serve as the foundation of marine ecosystems. A curious aspect of the most abundant phytoplantkon, prochlorococcus, is their very small genomes and significant diversity across environmental gradients, reflecting genome streamlining that optimizes cellular fitness. To interpret the structuring role of variations in genetic potential, as well as metabolic and physiological acclimation, we developed a mechanistic constraint-based modeling framework that incorporates the full suite of genes, proteins, metabolic reactions, pigments, and biochemical compositions of 69 sequenced isolates spanning the Prochlorococcus pangenome. Predicted growth rates covaried with observed ecotype abundances, affirming their significance as a measure of fitness. Our study demonstrates the potential to interpret global-scale ecosystem organization in terms of cellular-scale metabolic processes.
2021
Bahureksa, W.; Tfaily, M. M.; Boiteau, R. M.; Young, R. B.; Logan, M. N.; Mckenna, A. M.; Borch, T. Soil Organic Matter Characterization by Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometry (FTICR MS): A Critical Review of Sample Preparation, Analysis, and Data Interpretation. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2021, 55, 9637–9656. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.1c01135.
Pollara, S.B., Becker, J.W., Nunn, B.L., Boiteau, R.M., Repeta, D.J., Mudge, M.C., Downing, G., Chase, D., Harvey, E.L., Whalen, K.E. (2021). Bacterial quorum sensing signal arrests phytoplankton cell division and protects against virus-induced mortality. mSphere, 6:3 e00009-21. https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.07.14.202937
Li, J., Boiteau, R.M., Babcock‐Adam, L., Acker, M., Song, Z., McIlvin, M.R., Repeta, D.J., (2021). Element-selective targeting of nutrient metabolites in environmental samples by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. Front. Mar. Sci. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.630494
Boiteau, R.M., Markillie, L.M., Hoyt, D.W., Hu, D., Chu, R.K., Mitchell, H.D., Pasa-Tolic, L., Jansson, J.K., Jansson, C., (2021) Metabolic Interactions between Brachypodium and Pseudomonas fluorescens under Controlled Iron-Limited Conditions. mSystems 6. https://doi.org/10.1128/mSystems.00580-20
Gauglitz, J. M., Boiteau R. M., McLean C., Babcock-Adams, L., McIlvin, M. R., Moran D. M, Repeta D. J., Saito M. A., (2021) Dynamic proteome response of a marine Vibrio to a gradient of iron and ferrioxamine bioavailability. Marine Chemistry
2020
Boiteau, R. M.; Kukkadapu, R.; Cliff, J. B.; Smallwood, C. R.; Kovarik, L.; Wirth, M. G.; Engelhard, M. H.; Varga, T.; Dohnalkova, A.; Perea, D. E.; et al. Calcareous Organic Matter Coatings Sequester Siderophores in Alkaline Soils. Sci. Total Environ. 2020, 138250. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138250.
2019
Boiteau, R. M., Fansler, S. J., Farris, Y., Shaw, J. B., Koppenaal, D. W., Pasa-Tolic, L., Jansson, J. K., (2019) Siderophore profiling of co-habitating soil bacteria by ultra-high resolution mass spectrometry. Metallomics, 11, 166-175. 10.1039/C8MT00252E
Boiteau, R. M., Till, C. P., Coale, T. H., Fitzsimmons, J. N., Bruland, K. W., & Repeta, D. J. (2019). Patterns of iron and siderophore distributions across the California Current System. Limnology and Oceanography, 1–14. http://doi.org/10.1002/lno.11046
2018
Munson, K. M., Lamborg, C. H., Boiteau, R. M., & Saito, M. A. (2018). Dynamic mercury methylation and demethylation in oligotrophic marine water. Biogeosciences, 15, 6451-6460. https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-6451-2018
Boiteau, R. M., Shaw, J. B., Pasa-Tolic, L., Koppenaal, D. W., & Jansson, J. K. (2018). Micronutrient metal speciation is controlled by competitive organic chelation in grassland soils. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 120, 283–291. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2018.02.018
Bundy, R. M., Boiteau, R. M., McLean, C., Turk-Kubo, K. A., McIlvin, M. R., Saito, M. A., Van Mooy, B.A. Repeta, D. J. (2018). Distinct Siderophores Contribute to Iron Cycling in the Mesopelagic at Station ALOHA. Frontiers in Marine Science, 5. http://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2018.00061
Boiteau, R. M., Hoyt, D. W., Nicora, C. D., Kinmonth-schultz, H. A., Ward, J. K., & Bingol, K. (2018). Structure Elucidation of Unknown Metabolites in Metabolomics by Combined NMR and MS / MS Prediction. Metabolites, 8(8), 1–12. http://doi.org/10.3390/metabo8010008
Earlier
Repeta, D. J, Boiteau, R.M. (2017) Organic Nutrient Chemistry and the Marine Microbiome. In: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Chemical Sciences Roundtable. The Chemistry of Microbiomes: Proceedings of a Seminar Series. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); Jul 19. 7. https://doi.org/10.17226/24751
Boiteau, R. M., Mende, D. R., Hawco, N. J., McIlvin, M. R., Fitzsimmons, J. N., Saito, M. A., Sedwick, P. N., DeLong, E. F., Repeta, D. J. (2016). Siderophore-based microbial adaptations to iron scarcity across the eastern Pacific Ocean. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 113(50), 14237–14242. http://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1608594113
Boiteau, R. M., Till, C. P., Ruacho, A., Bundy, R. M., Hawco, N. J., McKenna, A. M., … Repeta, D. J. (2016). Structural Characterization of Natural Nickel and Copper Binding Ligands along the US GEOTRACES Eastern Pacific Zonal Transect. Frontiers in Marine Science, 3(NOV), 1–16. http://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2016.00243
Boiteau, R. M, D. Repeta (2015) “An extended siderophore suite from Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002 revealed by LC-ICPMS-ESIMS.” Metallomics, 7, 877-884.
Böttjer, D., S.P. Jungbluth, R.M. Boiteau, B. Burkhardt, F. de Leo, and B.C. Bruno (2014) “Career choices in marine and environmental sciences: Navigating a sea of options.” Oceanography, 27(2):201–207.
Boiteau, R. M, J. Fitzsimmons, D. Repeta, and E. Boyle (2013) “Detection of Iron Ligands in Seawater and Marine Cyanobacteria Cultures by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography−Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry.” Analytical Chemistry. 85(9), 4357-62.
Boiteau, R., M. Greaves, and H. Elderfield (2012) “Authigenic uranium in foraminiferal coatings: A proxy for ocean redox chemistry.” Paleoceanography, 27(3), 1–8.
Sinigalliano, C. D., Fleisher, J. M., Gidley, M. L., Gabriele, H. M. S., Shibata, T., Plano, L. R. W., Elmir, S. M., Wanlessa, D., Bartkowiak, J., Boiteau, R., et al. (2010). Traditional and Molecular Analyses for Fecal Indicator Bacteria in Non-point Source Subtropical Recreational Marine Waters. Water Res. 44, 3763–3772.
Major, J., Boiteau, R.M., Meade,T.J. (2008) “Investigation into the Mechanism of Zn(II)-Activated MR Imaging Contrast Agents.” Inorg. Chem., 47, 10788–10795.
Chen, C.W., Boiteau, R.M., Lai, W.F., Barger S.W., Cataldo, A.M. (2006) “sAPPalpha Enhances the Transdifferentiation of Adult Bone Marrow Progenitor Cells to Neuronal Phenotypes.” Curr. Alzheimer Res., 63-70.