Goodwin Laboratory

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Auburn University 

Follow us on X:  @AuburnRadical

Our Research Interests                                                                                   

Microbial virulence, antibiotic resistance, and discovery of new leads for antibiotic development are common threads that join our research interests together. We are interested in new leads that will combat infection by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. We are also interested in compounds to address a variety of fungal and oomycete agricultural pathogens. We focus on three main systems. Read more about each one by following the corresponding links.

• KatG: Connections to antibiotic activation, antibiotic resistance, and host-pathogen interactions
  

• Targeting shikimate dehydrogenase and shikimate kinase for antitubercular drug development
  

• Antimicrobial compounds generated by Bacillus and Paenibacillus biosynthetic gene clusters

Our Research Group

The Goodwin Group in September 2025.
Front row (left to right):
Sara Collins
Jada Conner
Erin Wilkinson
Louisa Forbes
Amy Lee
Back row from (left to right):
Jahbo Love
Nana Quansah
Macee Ballard
Doc

More About Us

• Current Lab Members

• Marks Family Scholarship
  

• Lab Alumni
  

• Goodwin Lab Pics

• Outreach

• Apply to our Graduate Program

Our Recent Publications

• Ugochukwu, C.G., Schwartz, T.S., Zeczycki, T.N., Goodwin, D.C., and Ellis, H.R. "Sulfur starvation induces an Fe-replete response and attenuates virulence pathways in Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1." BMC Microbiol. 2025, 25, 708.
  

• Alam, J., Olofintila, O.E., Moen, F.S., Noel, Z.A., Liles, M.R., and Goodwin, D.C. "Broad antibiosis activity of Bacillus velezensis and Bacillus subtilis is accounted for by a conserved capacity for lipopeptide biosynthesis." Front. Microbiol. 2025, 16, 1636481.

• Li, J., Duan, R., Traore, E.S., Nguyen, R.C., Davis, I., Griffth, W.P., Goodwin, D.C., Jarzecki, A.A., and Liu, A. "Indole N-linked hydroperoxyl adduct of protein derived cofactor modulating catalase-peroxidase functions." Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2024, 63, e202407018.

• Xu, H., Kenneson, J.R., Minton, L.E., and Goodwin, D.C. "A switch and a failsafe: KatG's mechanism for preservation of catalase activity using a conformationally dynamic Arg and an active-site Trp." Front. Chem. Biol. 2024, 3, 1431412.
  

• Basak, S., Alam, J., Goodwin, D., Harris, J., Patel, J.D., McCullough, P., and McElroy, J.S. "Detecting ACCase-targeting herbicides effect on ACCase activity utilizing a malachite green colorimetric functional assay" Weed Sci. 2022, 70, 14 - 19.

• de Faria, C.F., Moreira, T., Lopes, P., Costa, H., Krewall, J.R., Barton, C.M., Santos, S., Goodwin D.C., Mochado, D., Viveiros, M., Machuqueiro, M., and Martins, F. "Designing new antitubercular isoniazid derivatives with improved reactivity and membrane trafficking abilities." Biomed. Pharmacother. 2021, 144, 112362.
  

• Krewall, J.R.; Minton, L.E.; Goodwin, D.C. "KatG structure and mechanism: Using protein-based oxidation to confront the threats of reactive oxygen" In Bridging Structure and Function in Mechanistic Enzymology. J.M. Miller, Ed., 2020, American Chemical Society, Washington, DC, pp. 83-120.
  

• Sahrmann, P.G.; Donnan, P.H.; Merz, K.M.; Mansoorabadi, S.O.; Goodwin, D.C. "MRP.py: A parameterizer of post-translationally modified residues" J. Chem. Inf. Model. 2020, 60, 4424.
  

• Simithy, J.; Fuanta, N.R.; Alturki, M.; Hobrath, J.V.; Wahba, A. E.; Pina, I.; Rath, J.; Hamann, M.T.; DeRuiter, J.; Goodwin, D.C.; Calderon, A.I."Slow-binding inhibition of Mycobacterium tuberculosis shikimate kinase by manzamine alkaloids" Biochemistry 2018, 57, 4923.
  

• Simithy, J.; Fuanta, N.R.; Kochanowska-Karamayan, A.; Hobrath, J.V.; Hamann, M.T.; Goodwin, D.C.; Calderon, A.I. "Mechanism of irreversible inhibition of Mycobacterium tuberculosis shikimate kinase by ilimaquinone" Biochim. Biophys. Acta 2018, 1866, 731.
  

• Alturki, M.S.; Fuanta, N.R.; Jarrard, M.A.; Hobrath, J.V.; Goodwin, D.C.; Rants'o, T.A.; Calderon, A.I. "A multifaceted approach to identify non-specific enzyme inhibition: Application to Mycobacterium tuberculosis shikimate kinase" Bioorg. Medicin. Chem. Lett. 2018, 28, 802.

• Njuma, O.J.; Davis, I.; Ndontsa, E.N.; Krewall, J.R.; Liu, A.; Goodwin, D.C. "Mutual synergy between catalase and peroxidase activities of the bifunctional enzyme KatG is facilitated by electron-hole hopping within the enzyme" J. Biol. Chem. 2017, 292, 18408. 
  

• McCarty, S.E.; Schellenberger, A.; Goodwin, D.C.; Fuanta, N.R.; Tekwani, B.L.; Calderon, A.I. "Plasmodium falciparum thioredoxin reductase (PfTrxR) and its role as a target for new antimalarial discovery" Molecules 2015, 20, 11459.
  

• Gordon, S.; Simithy, J.; Goodwin, D.C.; Calderon, A.I. "Selective Mycobacterium tuberculosis shikimate kinase inhibitors as potential antibacterials" Perspect. Medicin. Chem. 2015, 7, 9.
  

• Huang, J.; Smith, F., Panizzi, J.R.; Goodwin, D.C.; Panizzi, P. "Inactivation of myeloperoxidase by benzoic acid hydrazide" Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 2015, 570, 14.
  

• Kudalkar, S.N.; Njuma, O.J.; Li, Y.; Muldowney, M.; Fuanta, N.R.; Goodwin, D.C. "A role for catalase-peroxidase large loop 2 revealed by deletion mutagenesis: Control of active site water and ferric enzyme reactivity" Biochemistry 2015, 54, 1648.
  

• Simithy, J.; Gill, G.; Wang, Y.; Goodwin, D.C.; Calderon, A.I. "Development of an ESI-LC-MS based assay for kinetic evaluation of M. tuberculosis shikimate kinase" Anal. Chem. 2015, 87, 2129.
  

• Njuma, O.J.; Ndontsa, E.N.; Goodwin, D.C.  "Catalase in peroxidase clothing: Interdependent cooperation of two cofactors in the catalytic versatility of KatG" Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 2014, 544, 27.

You can view a listing of all our publications here.