Faculty Profile

Paul Lepp, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Biology

Office: 229 Moore

Phone: (710) 858-3805

Email: paul.lepp@minotstateu.edu

 

Education
Dr. Lepp received a B.A. in Biology from Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, MN in 1990. In 1997 he earned his Ph.D. from Michigan State University in East Lansing, MI in the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics Microbial Ecology Center. From 1997 until 2004 Dr. Lepp was a Postdoctoral Fellow and a Research Associate at Stanford University School of Medicine in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, where he worked on the Microbial Diversity of the Subgingival Crevice Associated with Gingivitis. Dr. Lepp joint the Biology faculty at Minot State in 2005.

 

Courses offered

• BIOL 111 (Concepts of Biology)
• BIOL 142 (General Microbiology)
• BIOL 215 (Genetics)
• BIOL 301 (Evolution)
• BIOL 347 (Ecology)
• BIOL 405 (Prokaryotic Physiology)
• BIOL 499 (Bioinformatics)

Research Interests
My research interests lie primarily in the area of microbial ecology and evolution. I have a particular interest in how microbial communities respond to their environment, regardless of whether that environment is soil, seawater or the human body.

Select Publications

Ranko, J., P. W. Lepp, N. Oksala, S. Nikkari, S. T. Nikkari. 2008. Bacterial signatures in atherosclerotic lesions represent human commensals and pathogens. Artheroscleorsis. in press (epub March 12, 2008).

Glatz, R. E., P. W. Lepp, B. B. Ward and C. A. Francis. 2006.  Planktonic microbial community composition across steep physical/chemical gradients in permanently ice-covered Lake Bonney, Antarctica.  Geobiol. 4:53-67

Lepp, P. W., and T. M. Schmidt. 2004. Changes in Synechococcus population size and cellular ribosomal RNA content in response to predation and nutrient limitation. Microb. Ecol. epub May 28, 2004.

 

Lepp, P. W., M. M. Brinig, C. C. Ouverney, K. Palm, G. C. Armitage, and D. A. Relman. 2004. Methanogenic Archaea associated with human periodontal disease. PNAS 101(16):6176-6181.

Cummings, C. A., M. M. Brinig, P. W. Lepp, S. van de Pas, and D. A. Relman. 2004. Bordetella species are distinguished by profiles of substantial and functionally relevant gene loss. J Bacteriol. 186(5):1484-92.

Maiwald, M., P. W. Lepp, and D. A. Relman. 2003. Analysis of conserved non-rRNA genes of Tropheryma whipplei. Syst. Appl. Microbiol. 26(1):3-12.

Brinig, M. M., P. W. Lepp, C. C. Ouverney, G. C. Armitage, and D. A. Relman. 2003. Prevalence of bacteria of division TM7 in human subgingival plaque and their association with disease. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 69(3):1687-94.

Nikkari S., F. A. Lopez, P. W. Lepp, P. R. Cieslak, S. Ladd-Wilson, D. Passaro, R. Danila, and D. A. Relman. 2002. Broad-range bacterial detection and the analysis of unexplained death and critical illness. Emerg Infect Dis. 8(2):188-94.

Olivier, C., S. van de Pas, P. W. Lepp, K. Yoder, and D. A. Relman. 2001. Sequence variability in the first internal transcribed spacer region within and among Cyclospora species is consistent with polyparasitism. Int J Parasitol. 31(13):1475-87.

 

Fredricks, D. N, J. A. Jolley, P. W. Lepp, J. C. Kosek, and D. A. Relman. 2000. Rhinosporidium seeberi: a human pathogen from a novel group of aquatic protistan parasites. Emerg Infect Dis. 6(3):273-82.

Maiwald, M., A. von Herbay, P. W. Lepp, and D. A. Relman. 2000. Organization, structure, and variability of the rRNA operon of the Whipple's disease bacterium (Tropheryma whippelii).J Bacteriol. 182(11):3292-7.

 

Kroes, I., P. W. Lepp, and D. A. Relman. 1999. Bacterial diversity within the human subgingival crevice. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 96(25):14547-52.