CURRICULUM VITAE
Name: Gary L. Heil
Date of preparation: March 08, 2011
Contact information
The University of Florida
Emerging Pathogens Institute
P.O. Box 100009
Gainesville, FL 32609
Tele: 352-273-9418
Fax: 352-273-9420
I.
Personal Data
Citizenship status: United States citizen
Date of Birth: February 5, 1971
II.
Education
Bachelor of Arts, Microbiology, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, 1993
III.
Post-Graduate Education
Master of Arts, Microbiology, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, 1995
Thesis Title: Translational Processivity in Escherichia coli, under Professor and Dean,
Jack M. Parker
Ph.D., Microbiology, The University of Iowa, 2002
Dissertation Title: Evidence for Allosteric Coeffector Mediated Inhibition of a ProteinProtein Interaction Involved in the Transcriptional Regulation of the gcv Operon of
Escherichia coli. under Professor George V. Stauffer
IV.
Academic Appointments
Teaching Assistant, Department of Microbiology, Southern Illinois University at
Carbondale, August 1993 to August 1995
Graduate Assistant, Department of Microbiology, The University of Iowa, August 1995
to July 2002
Postdoctoral Research Scholar, Department of Biochemistry, The University of Iowa,
August 2002 to February, 2005, under Professor Andrew D. Robertson.
Postdoctoral Research Scholar, Carver College of Medicine Nuclear Magnetic
Resonance Facility, The University of Iowa, March 2005 to June 2005, under Dr.
William R. Kearney, Facility Director.
Postdoctoral Scholar, Department Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Ben May
Cancer Research Institute, The University of Chicago, under Drs. Shohei Koide and
Marsha R. Rosner, July 2005 to August 2006.
Research Assistant II, Department of Epidemiology, Center for Emerging Infectious
Diseases, The University of Iowa, December 2006 – December 2009.
Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Epidemiology, The University of Iowa,
November 2007 – present.
Senior Biological Scientist Department of Environmental and Global Health The
University of Florida, December 2009 – present.
V.
Membership in Professional Organizations
Member: International Society for Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses (ISIRV)
VI.
Areas of Research Interest



VII.
Epidemiological surveillance and the development of new serological and molecular
methodologies for characterization, serological surveillance, detection and typing of
respiratory viruses.
Influenza A virus evolution and ecology
Pathogenesis and virulence factors in influenza A
Recent Projects
Prior to taking a position with the Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases I
performed research under the direction of Drs. Koide and Rosner to investigate the
phosphatidylethanolamine binding protein (PEBP) / Raf-1 kinase inhibitor protein (RKIP)
in relation to its ligand binding properties. This research has included the use of NMR
spectroscopy to screen for binding to a number of potential natural ligands. Using
chemical shift mapping this work had produced the first solution phase demonstration of
a ligand bound to the conserved binding pocket of PEBP/RKIP and the first
demonstration of direct binding of a phospholipid to the pocket. I have investigated the
interactions between PEBP/RKIP GRK2 and Raf-1. In addition I completed the initial
screening of 6000 compounds of a 10,000 compound a drug library for compounds that
bind PEBP/RKIP in the pursuit of potential drug leads that inhibit or potentiate the
PEBP/RKIP kinase inhibitor function.
While at the Center of Emerging Infectious Diseases at the University of Iowa I
expanded the Center’s capabilities to include a neuraminidase inhibition assay that
allows the differentiation of anti-sera to specific Influenza A neuraminidase antigens. For
the past two I have been working on expressing and purifying subtype specific
neuraminidase antigens using a recombinant baculovirus expression system. If
successful the product of this work will establish a novel more robust approach to
serological analysis of influenza exposure in study subjects. I managed a project to
grow and titer 34 different human virus pathogens for use as a cross-reactivity panel for
evaluating diagnostic tests for respiratory pathogens. Most of these viruses had never
been grown the Center and many did not have published protocols for titering. I
managed the molecular analysis work group at the Center with two full time staff under
my supervision performing genetic characterization of influenza and adenoviruses for a
number of studies. I also supervised the training of staff in BSL2, BSL2 (USDA Ag+)
and BSL3 laboratory protocols. I also developed standard operating protocols and
practices for these labs to meet the requirements of the USDA, and CDC to gain
permits to work with specific animal and human pathogens regulated by these agencies.
I’m currently interested in developing new methods of detecting evidence of prior
exposure to influenza and other respiratory viruses. as well as exploring the molecular
markers of pathogenicity and virulence among emerging strains of influenza A.
VIII.
Teaching Activities
Southern Illinois University at Carbondale
Year
Course
Students
1993 Molecular Biology
Length of course
Percent
100
15 weeks
10
1994 Bacterial Genetics/Physiology
24
15 weeks
30
1994 Senior Microbiology Lab I
24
15 weeks
30
1995 Senior Microbiology Lab II
24
15 weeks
30
The University of Iowa
Year Course
Students
1996 Medical Microbiology
Length of course
Percent
160
15 weeks
20
40
15 weeks
50
140
7 weeks
20
2008 Course Director for
Public Health Laboratory Techniques
26
1 week
100
2009 Course Director for
Public Health Laboratory Techniques
35
1 week
100
1997 Health Sciences Microbiology
1998 Nursing Microbiology
The University of Florida
Year Course
Students
Length of course
Percent
IX.
2010 Course Director for
Public Health Laboratory Techniques
40
1 week
100
2011 Course director
Public Health Laboratory Techniques
37
1 week
100
Presentations
Oral Presentations
MChip, a Low Density Microarray, Differentiates Among Seasonal Human H1N1
Classical Swine H1N1 and the 2009 Pandemic Influenza A H1N1. ISIRV Symposium
on Neglected Influenza Viruses. February 3-5, 2010.
Molecular Determinants of Side-Chain Conformations in Ubiquitin, 16th Annual Gibbs
Conference on Biothermodynamics September 27-30, 2003.
Poster Presentations
Is Influenza A Rendered Non-viable Following treatment with RNA Isolation Kit
Lysis/Binding Buffers? Gary L Heil, Sharon F Setterquist and Gregory C. Gray. Options
for the Control of Influenza VI June 17-22, 2007.
Solution State Characterization of Phospholipid Binding to the Conserved Pocket of
PEBP / RKIP. Gary L. Heil, Matthew C. Clark, Dan McElheny, Marsha R. Rosner &
Shohei Koide. The 37th Great Lakes Regional Meeting of the American Chemical
Society. May 31- June 2, 2006.
Side-Chain Conformational Dynamics on the Surface of Ubiquitin. Gary L. Heil &
Andrew D. Robertson. Eighteenth Symposium of The Protein Society. August 14-18,
2004.
Molecular Determinants of Side-Chain Conformations in Ubiquitin Gary L. Heil &
Andrew D. Robertson. Seventeenth Symposium of The Protein Society. July 26-30,
2003.
Transcriptional Control of the gcvTHP Operon, Encoding the Glycine Cleavage Enzyme
System of Escherichia coli: Evidence for Linked Equilibria among Several Regulatory
Components. Gary L. Heil. Andrew D. Robertson & George V. Stauffer. 14th Annual
Gibbs Conference on Biothermodynamics October 7-10, 2000.
Construction of an Allosteric Model for the Transcriptional Regulation of the Glycine
Cleavage Enzyme System of Escherichia coli. Gary L. Heil and George V. Stauffer. 13th
Annual Gibbs Conference on Biothermodynamics October 2-5, 1999.
PUBLICATIONS
Peer Reviewed Articles
Gregory C. Gray, Dwight D. Ferguson, PE Lowther, Gary L. Heil, John A. Friary (2011) A
National Study of US Bird Banders for evidence of Avian Influenza virus Infections.
Journal of Clinical Virology. 51, 132-135.
Gary L. Heil, Troy McCarthy, Kyoung-Jin Yoon, Siyuan Liu, Magdi D. Saad, Catherine B.
Smith, Julie A. Houck, Erica D. Dawson, Kathy L. Rowlen, Gregory C. Gray (2010)
MChip, a Low Density Microarray, Differentiates among Seasonal Human H1N1, North
American Swine H1N1, and the 2009 Pandemic H1N1. Influenza and Other Respiratory
Viruses. 4, 411-416.
Anne Shemon, Gary L. Heil, Alexey Granovsky, Mathew Clark, Dan McElheny, Alexander
Chimon, Marsha Rich Rosner and Shohei Koide (2010) Characterization of the Raf
Kinase Inhibitory Protein (RKIP) Binding Pocket: NMR-based Screening Identifies Smallmolecule Ligands. Submitted: PLoSONE.
Mark G. Lebeck, Troy A. McCarthy, Ana W. Capuano, David P. Schnurr, Marie L. Landry,
Sharon F. Setterquist, Gary L. Heil, Selim Kilic, and Gregory C. Gray (2009) Emergent US
Adenovirus 3 Strains Associated with an Epidemic and Serious Disease. Journal of
Clinical Virology 46, 331-336.
Alexey E. Granovsky, Matthew C. Clark, Dan McElheny, Gary L. Heil, Jia Hong,
Youngchang Kim, Grazyna Joachimiak, Andrzej Joachimiak, Shohei Koide and Marsha
Rich Rosner (2009) Raf Kinase Inhibitory Protein Function Is Regulated via a Flexible
Pocket and Novel Phosphorylation-Dependent Mechanism Molecular and Cellular
Biology. 29, 1306-1320.
Gary L. Heil, Sharon F. Setterquist and Gregory C. Gray (2007) Is Influenza A Rendered
Non-viable Following treatment with RNA Isolation Kit Lysis/Binding Buffers. Options VI
proceedings.
Gary L. Heil, Lorraine T. Stauffer & George V. Stauffer (2002) Glycine binds the
transcriptional accessory protein GcvR to disrupt a GcvA/GcvR interaction and allow
GcvA mediated activation of the Escherichia coli gcvTHP operon. Microbiology 148,
2203-2214.
Angela C. Ghrist, Gary L. Heil, & George V. Stauffer (2001) GcvR interacts with GcvA to
inhibit activation of the Escherichia coli glycine cleavage operon. Microbiology 147, 22152221.
Abstracts
Gary L. Heil & Andrew D. Robertson (2004) Abstract: Side-chain conformational
dynamics on the surface of ubiquitin. Protein Science 13, suppl. 2, 163.
Gary L. Heil & Andrew D. Robertson (2003) Abstract: Molecular determinants of sidechain conformation in ubiquitin. Protein Science 12, suppl. 2, 120.