Joseph Cotruvo

Associate Professor of Chemistry

Joseph Cotruvo

Research Summary

Biochemistry and chemical biology to uncover and understand new metal and redox biology. We are particularly interested in applications to infectious disease, bioenergy, and cancer biology.

Huck Affiliations

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Publication Tags

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Proteins Metals Lanthanoid Series Elements Rare Earth Elements Lanthanoid Atom Protein Bacteria Carrier Proteins Metal Metal Ion Enzymes Copper Ions Ef Hand Motifs Sensors Iron Acids Luminescence Proline Actinoid Atom Terbium Superoxides Riboswitch Ribonucleotide Reductases Biochemistry

Most Recent Publications

The czcD (NiCo) riboswitch responds to iron(II)

Jiansong Xu, Joseph Cotruvo, Biochemistry on p. 1508-1516

A genetically encoded fluorescent sensor for manganese(II), engineered from lanmodulin

Jennifer Park, Michael B. Cleary, Danyang Li, Joseph A. Mattocks, Jiansong Xu, Huan Wang, Somshuvra Mukhopadhyay, Eric M. Gale, Joseph A. Cotruvo, 2022, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

Reconsidering the czcD (NiCo) Riboswitch as an Iron Riboswitch

Jiansong Xu, Joseph A. Cotruvo, 2022, ACS Bio and Med Chem Au on p. 376-385

Iron-responsive riboswitches

Jiansong Xu, Joseph A. Cotruvo, 2022, Current Opinion in Chemical Biology

Engineering lanmodulin's selectivity for actinides over lanthanides by controlling solvent coordination and second-sphere interactions

Joseph A. Mattocks, Joseph A. Cotruvo, Gauthier J.P. Deblonde, 2022, Chemical Science on p. 6054-6066

Bridging Hydrometallurgy and Biochemistry: A Protein-Based Process for Recovery and Separation of Rare Earth Elements

Ziye Dong, Joseph A. Mattocks, Gauthier J.P. Deblonde, Dehong Hu, Yongqin Jiao, Joseph A. Cotruvo, Dan M. Park, 2021, ACS Central Science on p. 1798-1808

Lanthanide-dependent coordination interactions in lanmodulin: A 2D IR and molecular dynamics simulations study

Stephanie Liu, Emily R. Featherston, Joseph A. Cotruvo, Carlos R. Baiz, 2021, Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics on p. 21690-21700

Capturing an elusive but critical element: Natural protein enables actinium chemistry

Gauthier J.P. Deblonde, Joseph A. Mattocks, Ziye Dong, Paul T. Wooddy, Joseph A. Cotruvo, Mavrik Zavarin, 2021, Science advances

Characterization of Americium and Curium Complexes with the Protein Lanmodulin: A Potential Macromolecular Mechanism for Actinide Mobility in the Environment

Gauthier J.P. Deblonde, Joseph A. Mattocks, Huan Wang, Eric M. Gale, Annie B. Kersting, Mavrik Zavarin, Joseph A. Cotruvo, 2021, Journal of the American Chemical Society on p. 15769-15783

Probing Lanmodulin's Lanthanide Recognition via Sensitized Luminescence Yields a Platform for Quantification of Terbium in Acid Mine Drainage

Emily R. Featherston, Edward J. Issertell, Joseph A. Cotruvo, 2021, Journal of the American Chemical Society on p. 14287-14299

Most-Cited Papers

Synthetic fluorescent probes for studying copper in biological systems

Joseph A. Cotruvo, Allegra T. Aron, Karla M. Ramos-Torres, Christopher J. Chang, 2015, Chemical Society Reviews on p. 4400-4414

Recognition- and Reactivity-Based Fluorescent Probes for Studying Transition Metal Signaling in Living Systems

Allegra T. Aron, Karla M. Ramos-Torres, Joseph A. Cotruvo, Christopher J. Chang, 2015, Accounts of Chemical Research on p. 2434-2442

The Chemistry of Lanthanides in Biology: Recent Discoveries, Emerging Principles, and Technological Applications

Joseph A. Cotruvo, 2019, ACS Central Science on p. 1496-1506

Copper regulates cyclic-AMP-dependent lipolysis

Lakshmi Krishnamoorthy, Joseph A. Cotruvo, Jefferson Chan, Harini Kaluarachchi, Abigael Muchenditsi, Venkata S. Pendyala, Shang Jia, Allegra T. Aron, Cheri M. Ackerman, Mark N.Vander Wal, Timothy Guan, Lukas P. Smaga, Samouil L. Farhi, Elizabeth J. New, Svetlana Lutsenko, Christopher J. Chang, 2016, Nature Chemical Biology on p. 586-592

Lanmodulin: A Highly Selective Lanthanide-Binding Protein from a Lanthanide-Utilizing Bacterium

Joseph Alfred Cotruvo, Jr., Emily R. Featherston, Joseph A. Mattocks, Jackson V. Ho, Tatiana Nikolaevna Laremore, 2018, Journal of the American Chemical Society on p. 15056-15061

Mechanism of assembly of the dimanganese-tyrosyl radical cofactor of class Ib ribonucleotide reductase: Enzymatic generation of superoxide is required for tyrosine oxidation via a Mn(III)Mn(IV) intermediate

Joseph A. Cotruvo, Troy A. Stich, R. David Britt, Joanne Stubbe, 2013, Journal of the American Chemical Society on p. 4027-4039

A Selective, Protein-Based Fluorescent Sensor with Picomolar Affinity for Rare Earth Elements

Joseph A. Mattocks, Jackson V. Ho, Joseph A. Cotruvo, 2019, Journal of the American Chemical Society

Structural Basis for Rare Earth Element Recognition by Methylobacterium extorquens Lanmodulin

Erik C. Cook, Emily R. Featherston, Scott A. Showalter, Joseph A. Cotruvo, 2019, Biochemistry on p. 120-125

Selective and Efficient Biomacromolecular Extraction of Rare-Earth Elements using Lanmodulin

Gauthier J.P. Deblonde, Joseph A. Mattocks, Dan M. Park, David W. Reed, Joseph A. Cotruvo, Yongqin Jiao, 2020, Inorganic Chemistry on p. 11855-11867

Biochemical and Structural Characterization of XoxG and XoxJ and Their Roles in Lanthanide-Dependent Methanol Dehydrogenase Activity

Emily Featherston, Hannah Rose, Molly McBride, Ellison Taylor, Amie K. Boal, Joseph Cotruvo, 2019, ChemBioChem on p. 2360-2372

News Articles Featuring Joseph Cotruvo

Mar 09, 2023

New biosensor reveals activity of elusive metal that’s essential for life

A new biosensor engineered by Penn State researchers offers scientists the first dynamic glimpses of manganese, an elusive metal ion that is essential for life.

Full Article

Oct 20, 2021

Radioactive metals for medicine get a boost from recently discovered protein

A protein can be used to recover and purify radioactive metals such as actinium that could be beneficial for next-generation drugs used in cancer therapies and medical imaging, according to new research from Penn State and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL).

Full Article

Oct 08, 2021

New, environmentally friendly method to extract and separate rare earth elements

A new method improves the extraction and separation of rare earth elements — a group of 17 chemical elements critical for technologies such as smart phones and electric car batteries — from unconventional sources.

Full Article

Aug 25, 2021

New sensor can detect valuable rare earth element in non-traditional sources

A new luminescent sensor can detect terbium, a valuable rare earth element, from complex environmental samples like acid mine waste. The sensor, developed by researchers at Penn State, takes advantage of a protein that very specifically binds to rare earth elements and could be harnessed to help develop a domestic supply of these metals, which are used in technologies such as smart phones, electric car batteries, and energy efficient lighting.

Full Article

Feb 16, 2021

Three from Eberly College of Science awarded 2021 Sloan Research Fellowships

Three faculty members from the Eberly College of Science have been honored with 2021 Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowships in recognition of their research accomplishments. The new Sloan fellows include Maria del Carmen Carmona Benitez, assistant professor of physics; Joseph Cotruvo Jr., Louis Martarano Career Development Professor of Chemistry; and Elizabeth Elacqua, assistant professor of chemistry.

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Apr 23, 2019

New sensor detects rare metals used in smartphones

A more efficient and cost-effective way to detect lanthanides, the rare earth metals used in smartphones and other technologies, could be possible with a new protein-based sensor that changes its fluorescence when it binds to these metals. A team of researchers from Penn State developed the sensor from a protein they recently described and subsequently used it to explore the biology of bacteria that use lanthanides. A study describing the sensor appears online in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

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