Education

Postdoctoral Fellowship, Vanderbilt University Medical Center

PhD, Chemistry, Vanderbilt University, 2015

MS, Chemistry, Northeastern University, 2009

BS, Chemistry cum laude, Old Dominion University, 2003

Research Interest

Staphylococcus aureus infect every niche of the human host, is the leading cause of Gram-positive sepsis, and causes over 900,000 severe infections annually in the United States. Additionally, 10 % of S. aureus infections are caused by stains resistant to commonly used antibiotics. Our lab furthers the knowledge of how the host kills S. aureus and how S. aureus avoids killing by the host. Specifically, we are focused on the role of protein post-translational modifications at the host-pathogen interface. Through multiple projects that use aspects of analytical chemistry, bacteriology, bacterial pathogenesis, and chemical biology, both in vitro and in vivo, we seek to identify and validate S. aureus therapeutic weaknesses for targeting by the next generation of antimicrobials.

Teaching Interest

Bacteriology, Bacterial Pathogenesis, Chemical Biology

Select Publications

Wexler AG, Guiberson ER, Beavers WN, Washington MK, Caprioli RM, Spraggins JM, Skaar EP. Clostridioides difficileinfection induces a rapid influx of bile acids into the gut to facilitate colonization of the host. Cell Rep. (2021) doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109683. PMCID: PMC8445666.
 
Beavers WN, DuMont AL, Monteith AJ, Maloney KN, Tallman KA, Weiss A, Christian AH, Toste FD, Chang CJ, Porter NA, Torres VJ, Skaar EP. Staphylococcus aureus peptide methionine sulfoxide reductases protect from human whole blood killing. Infect. Immun. (2021) doi: 10.1128/IAI.00146-21. PMCID: PMC8281210.

Juttukonda LJ*, Beavers WN*, Unsihuay D, Kim K, Pishchany G, Horning KJ, Weiss A, Al-Tameemi H, Boyd JM, SulikowskiGA, Bowman AB, Skaar EP. A small-molecule modulator of metal homeostasis in Gram-positive pathogens. MBio. (2020) doi: 10.1128/mBio.02555-20. PMCID: PMC7593973. (*equal authorship)

Al-Tameemi H, Beavers WN, Norambuena J, Skaar EP, Boyd JM. Staphylococcus aureuslacking a functional MntABC manganese import system have increased resistance to copper. Mol. Microbiol. (2020) doi: 10.1111/mmi.14623. PMCID: PMC8121185.

Lopez CA, Beavers WN, Weiss A, Knippel RJ, Zackular JP, Chazin WJ, Skaar EP. The immune protein calprotectin impacts Clostridioides difficilemetabolism through zinc limitation. MBio. (2019) doi: 10.1128/mBio.02289-19. PMCID: PMC6867894.

Beavers WN, Monteith AJ, Amarnath V, Mernaugh RL, Roberts II LJ, Chazin WJ, Davies SS, Skaar EP.Arachidonic acid kills Staphylococcus aureusthrough a lipid peroxidation mechanism. MBio. (2019) doi: 10.1128/mBio.01333-19. PMCID: PMC6775451.

Grunenwald CM, Choby JE, Beavers WN, Weiss A, Juttukonda LJ, Skaar EP. Manganese detoxification by MntE is critical for resistance to oxidative stress and virulence of Staphylococcus aureus. MBio.(2019) doi: 10.1128/mBio.02915-18. PMCID: PMC6391924.

Beavers WN,Rose KL, Galligan JJ, Mitchener MM, Tallman KA, Lamberson CR, Wang X, Hill SS, Ivanova P, Brown HA, Zhang B, Porter NA, Marnett LJ. Protein modification by endogenously generated lipid electrophiles: mitochondria as the source and target. ACS Chem.Biol.(2017)doi: 10.1021/acschembio.7b00480. PMCID: PMC6174696.

Beavers WN, Skaar EP. Neutrophil generated oxidative stress and protein damage in Staphylococcus aureus. PathogDis. (2016)doi: 10.1093/femspd/ftw060. PMCID: PMC5975594.

Beavers WN*, Serwa R*, Shimozu Y, Tallman KA, Vaught M, Dalvie ED, Marnett LJ, Porter NA. -Alkynyl lipid surrogates for polyunsaturated fatty acids: free radical and enzymatic oxidations. J. Am. Chem.Soc. (2014)doi: 10.1021/ja506038v.PMCID: PMC4140476. (*equal authorship)

Grant Funding

2022-2024: NIAID K22 Career Transition Award