New Publications (Past 5 years)

Up until 2021, Dr. Crans had published 223 peer-reviewed manuscripts with an H-index of 60 and >11,000 citations. Links to our open-access articles are provided.

Prior to 2015 ,Dr. Crans had published 175 peer reviewed manuscripts that can be found through the link.

In 2013, papers from Dr. Crans’ lab have had an editorial in Dalton Transactions (DaltonTrans 2013,42, p11744and featured on the cover of The New Journal of Chemistry (Lemons2013NJCVO2Catecholate) and The Journal of Organic Chemistry!

The goddess Vanadis is shown with her hair in the shapes of protein parts of regulatory phosphatases symbolizing the complexities of mode of action of vanadium compounds. Vanadium-based antidiabetic agents are reviewed in terms of their chemical and physical properties and how structure is associated with function.  The inhibition of protein phosphatase takes center stage because of the transition-state inhibitory effects of vanadates and organic vanadates and their resulting antidiabetic effects.  Dr. Crans is the recipient of the 2015 Cope Scholar Award. Cover reported December 18, 2015 for the Journal of Organic (vol 20, number 24) chemistry (American Chemical Society). Painting by Kaitlin Doucette.

244. “Substitution Kinetics, Albumin and Transferrin Affinities, and Hypoxia All Affect the Biological Activities of Anticancer Vanadium(V) Complexes” Aviva Levina, Canan Uslan, Heide Murakami, Debbie C. Crans, and Peter A. Lay Inorganic Chemistry 2023, 62 (43), 17804-17817 https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.inorgchem.3c02561

243. “Proline Dehydrogenase and Pyrroline 5 Carboxylate Dehydrogenase from Mycobacterium tuberculosis: Evidence for Substrate Channeling.”Kumar, Santosh, Steven Sega, Jamie K. Lynn-Barbe, Dannika L. Harris, Jordan T. Koehn, Debbie C. Crans, Dean C. Crick.  Pathogens 202312, 1171. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens12091171

242. “Vanadium(V) Pyridine-Containing Schiff Base Catecholate Complexes are Lipophilic, Redox-Active and Selectively Cytotoxic in Glioblastoma (T98G) Cells” Kateryna Kostenkova, Aviva Levina, Drew A. Walters, Heidi A. Murakami, Peter A. Lay, Debbie C. Crans. Chem. Eur. J. 2023, e202302271. https://doi.org/10.1002/chem.202302271

241. “Where Are Sodium Ions in AOT Reverse Micelles? Fluoride Anion Probes Nanoconfined Ions by 19F Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy” Samantha L. Miller, Ernestas Gaidamauskas, Ataf Ali Altaf, Debbie C. Crans, and Nancy E. Levinger Langmuir 2023, 39 (22), 7811-7819 https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.langmuir.3c00649

240. “Biological Consequences of Vanadium Effects on Formation of Reactive Oxygen Species and Lipid Peroxidation” Manuel Aureliano, Ana Luisa De Sousa-Coelho, Connor C. Dolan. Deborah A. Roess, Debbie C. Crans. International Journal of Molecular Sciences 2023, 24(6), 5382. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24065382

239. “Targeting Epigenetic Changes Mediated by Members of the SMYD Family of Lysine Methyltransferases” Alyssa Padilla, John F. Manganaro, Lydia Huesgen, Deborah A. Roess, Mark A. Brown, Debbie C. Crans. Molecules 2023, 28, 2000. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28042000

238. “The antihyperglycemic and hypolipidemic activities of a sulfur-oxidovanadium(IV) complex” Lidiane Macêdo Alves de Lima, Amanda K.J.P. Guedes, Eucilene K. Batista, Kahoana Postal, Kateryna Kostenkova, Alex Fenton, Debbie C. Crans, Wagner E. Silva, Mônica Freire Belian, Eduardo Carvalho Lira. Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry 2023, 241(12), 112127. DOI:  10.1016/j.jinorgbio.2023.112127

237. “Grand challenges in chemical biology: Past, present and future” Debbie C. Crans. Frontiers in Chemical Biology 2022, 1. https://doi.org/10.3389/fchbi.2022.1108654

236. “Vanadium Chloro-Substituted Schiff Base Catecholate Complexes are Reducible, Lipophilic, Water Stable, and Have Anticancer Activities” Heide A. Murakami, Canan Uslan, Allison A. Haase, Jordan T. Koehn, Adriana Pires Vieira, D. Jackson Gaebler, John Hagan, Cheryle N. Beuning, Nicholas Proschogo, Aviva Levina, Peter A. Lay, Debbie C, Crans Inorganic Chemistry 2022, 21, 51, 20757-20773. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.inorgchem.2c02557

235. “Chemistry of Lipoquinones: Properties, Synthesis, and Membrane Location of Ubiquinones, Plastoquinones, and Menaquinones” Margaret M. Braasch-Turi, Jordan T. Koehn, Debbie C. Crans. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2022, 23(21), 12856. DOI:  10.3390/ijms232112856

234. “Biological contributions to the 12th international vanadium symposium” Anastasios D. Keramidas, Chryssoula Drouza, Giulia Licini, Debbie C. Crans. Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry. 2022, 237, 112014. DOI:  10.1016/j.jinorgbio.2022.112014

233. “Do bioactive 8-hydroxyquinolines oxidovanadium(IV) and (V) complexes inhibit the growth of M. smegmatis?” Gonzalo Scalese, Zeyad Arhouma, Kateryna Kostenkova, Leticia Perez-Diaz, Dean C. Crick, Dinorah Gambino, Debbie C. Crans. Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry, 2022, 237, 111984. DOI: 10.1016/j.jinorgbio.2022.111984

232. “Molecular Bio-Sensors and the Biological and Biomedical Activities of Vanadium” Nuttaporn Samarat, Deborah A. Roess, Debbie C. Crans. Molecular Bio-Sensors and the Role of Metal Ions, 2022. DOI:  10.1201/9781003229971-8

231. “Pascoite Minerals and Potential Application of NMR Spectroscopy” Craig C. McLauchlan, Beth Trent-Ringler, Debbie C. Crans. Minerals 202212, 980. https://doi.org/10.3390/min12080980

230. “Exploring Growth of Mycobacterium smegmatis Treated with Anticarcinogenic Vanadium Compounds” Zeyad Arhouma, Heide A. Murakami, Jordan T. Koehn, Xiaorong Li, Deborah A. Roess, Dean C. Crick, Debbie C. Crans Inorganics 202210, 50. https://doi.org/10.3390/inorganics10040050

229. “Highlighting the roles of transition metals and speciation in chemical biology” Kateryna Kostenkova, Gonzalo Scalese, Dinorah Gambino, Debbie C. Crans. Curr. Op. Chem. Bio2022, 69, 1-11, article 102155. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbpa.2022.102155

228. “Metallomics and other omics approaches in antiparasitic metal-based drug research” Gonzalo Scalese, Kateryna Kostenkova, Dinorah Gambino, Debbie C. Crans. Curr. Op. Chem. Bio202267, 1-9, article 102127. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbpa.2022.102127

227. “Electron Transport Lipids Fold Within Membrane-Like Interfaces” Margaret M. Braasch-Turi#, Jordan T. Koehn#, Kateryna Kostenkova, Cameron Van Cleave, Jacob W. Ives, Heide A. Murakami, Dean C. Crick, Debbie C. Crans. Front. Chem. (Section: Chemical Biology) 2022, 10, article 827530. https://doi.org/10.3389/fchem.2022.827530 (# – co-first authorship)

226. “PtIV– or MoVI-monosubstituted decavanadates inhibit the growth of Mycobacterium smegmatis” Kateryna Kostenkova, Zeyad Arhouma, Kahoana Postal, Ananthu Rajan, Ulrich Kortz, Giovana G. Nunes, Dean C. Crick, Debbie C. Crans. J. Inorg. Biochem., 2021, 217, 111356.

225. “Vanadium (IV)-diamine complex with hypoglycemic activity and a reduction in testicular atrophy” Lidiane M.A. Lima, Mônica F. Belian, Wagner E. Silva, Kahoana Postal, Kateryna Kostenkova, Debbie C. Crans, Ana Katharyne F.F. Rossiter, Valdemiro A. da Silva Júnior. J. Inorg. Biochem., 2021, 216, 111312

224. “The Interfacial Interactions of Glycine and Short Glycine Peptides in Model Membrane Systems” Kaitlin A. Doucette, Prangthong Chaiyasit, Donn L. Calkins, Kayli N. Martinez, Cameron Van Cleave, Callan A. Knebel, Anan Tongraar. Int. J. Mol. Sci., 2021, 22(1), 162. doi: 10.3390/ijms22010162

223. “In Silico/In Vitro Hit-to-Lead Methodology Yields SMYD3 Inhibitor That Eliminates Unrestrained Proliferation of Breast Carcinoma Cells” Ilham M. Alshiraihi, Dillon K. Jarrell, Zeyad Arhouma, Kelly N. Hassell, Jaelyn Montgomery, Alyssa Padilla, Hend M. Ibrahim, Debbie C. Crans, Takamitsu A. Kato, Mark A. Brown. Int. J. Mol. Sci., 2020, 21(24), 9549. doi: 10.3390/ijms21249549

222. “Vanadium compounds promote biocatalysis in cells through actions on cell membranes” Debbie C. Crans, Mark A. Brown, Deborah A. Roess. Catalysis Today, 2020,

221. “Open questions on the biological roles of first-row transition metals” Debbie C. Crans and Kateryna Kostenkova. Comm. Chem., 2020, 3, article 104. doi: 10.1038/s42004-020-00341-w

220. “The Acid-Base Equilibrium of Pyrazinoic Acid Drives the pH-Dependence of Pyrazinamide-Induced Mycobacterium tuberculosis Growth Inhibition” Fabio L. Fontes, Benjamin J. Peters, Debbie C. Crans, Dean C. Crick. ACS Infect. Dis., 2020, 6(11), 3004-3014.

219.Mycobacterium tuberculosis Survival in J774A.1 Cells Is Dependent on MenJ Moonlighting Activity, Not Its Enzymatic Activity” Santosh Kumar, Jordan T. Koehn, Mercedes Gonzales-Juarrero, Debbie C. Crans, Dean C. Crick. ACS Infect. Dis., 2020, 6(10), 2661-2671.

218. “Synthesis of Naphthoquinone Derivatives: Menaquinones, Lipoquinones and Other Vitamin K Derivatives” Margaret Braasch-Turi and Debbie C. Crans. Molecules, 2020, 25(19), 4477. doi: 10.3390/molecules25194477

217. “Glycoprotein G G-protein Coupled Receptors in Disease: Lutenizing Hormone Receptors and Follicle Stimulating Hormone Receptors” Duaa Althumairy, Xiaoping Zhang, Nicholas Baez, B. George Barisas, Deborah A. Roess, George R. Bousfield, Debbie C. Crans. Diseases, 2020, 8(3), 35. doi: 10.3390/diseases8030035

216. “ESI-MS Study of the Interaction of Potential Oxidovanadium(IV) Drugs and Amavadin with Model Proteins” Valeria Ugone, Daniele Sanna, Giuseppe Sciortino, Debbie C. Crans, Eugenio Garriba. Inorg. Chem., 2020, 59, 9739-9755.

215. “A Short-Lived but Highly Cytotoxic Vanadium(V) Complex as a Potential Drug Load for Brain Cancer Treatment by Intratumoral Injections” Aviva Levina, Adriana Pires Vieira, Asanka Wijetunga, Ravinder Kaur, Jordan T. Koehn, Debbie C. Crans, Peter A. Lay. Angewandte Chimie, 2020

214. “Polyoxometalates function as indirect activators of a G protein-coupled receptor” Duaa Althumairy, Kahoana Postal, B. George Barisas, Giovana G. Nunes, Deborah A. Roess, Debbie C. Crans. Metallomics202012, 1044-1061. Featured as the front cover of Metallomics! Click here for the article!

213. “Location of menaquinone and menaquinol headgroups in model membranes” Cameron Van Cleave, Heide A. Murakami, Nuttaporn Samart, Jordan T. Koehn, Pablo Maldonado, Jr., Heidi D. Kreckel, Elana J. Cope, Andrea Basile, Dean C. Crick, Debbie C. Crans. Can. J. Chem., 202098(6), pp 307-317.

212. “Initiation of a novel mode of membrane signaling: Vanadium facilitated signal transduction” Nuttaporn Samart, Duaa Althumairy, Dongmei Zhang, Deborah A. Roess, Debbie C. Crans. Coord. Chem. Rev., 2020416, article 213286.

211. “Application of HPLC to measure vanadium in environmental, biological and clinical matrices” Iman Boukhobza and Debbie C. Crans. Arab. J. Chem., 202013(1), pp 1198-1228.

210. “Effects of vanadium(IV) compounds on plasma membrane lipids lead to G protein-coupled receptor signal transduction” Duaa Althumairy, Heide A. Murakami, Dongmei Zhang, B. George Barisas, Deborah A. Roess, Debbie C. Crans. J. Bioinorg. Chem.2020203, article 110873.

209. “Coordination Chemistry of a Controlled Burst of Zn2+ in Bulk Aqueous and Nanosized Water Droplets with a Zincon Chelator” Cheryle N. Beuning, Noah E. Barkley, Prem N. Basa, Shawn C. Burdette, Nancy E. Levinger, Debbie C. Crans. Inorg. Chem.201959(1), pp 184-188.

208. “Vanadium science: chemistry, catalysis, materials, biological and medicinal studies” Debbie C. Crans, Dinorah Gambino, Susana B. Etcheverry. New J. Chem.2019.

207. “The First-Row Transition Metals in the Periodic Table of Medicine” Cameron Van Cleave and Debbie C. Crans. Inorganics2019, 7(9), article 111. doi: 10.3390/inorganics7090111

206. “Enhancement of oncolytic virotherapy by vanadium(V) dipicolinates” Anabel Bergeron, Kateryna Kostenkova, Mohammed Selman, Heide A. Murakami, Elizabeth Owens, Naveen Haribabu, Rozanne Arulanandam, Jean-Simon Diallo, Debbie C. Crans. Biometals, 2019, 32(3), pp 545-561.

205. “Speciation and toxicity of rhenium salts, organometallics and coordination complexes” Allison A. Haase, Elisabeth B. Bauer, Fritz E. Kühn, Debbie C. Crans. Coord. Chem. Rev.2019, 394, pp 135-161.

204. “Organometallic and coordination rhenium compounds and their potential in cancer therapy” Elisabeth B. Bauer, Allison A. Haase, Debbie C. Crans, Fritz E. Kühn. Coord. Chem. Rev.2019, 394, pp 79-117.

203. “A Transition-State Perspective on Y-Family DNA Polymerase eta Fidelity in Comparison with X-Family DNA polymerases lambda and beta” Keriann Oertell, Jan Florian, Pouya Haratipour, Debbie C. Crans, Boris A. Kashemirov, Samuel H. Wilson, Charles E. McKenna, Myron F. Goodman. Biochemistry201958(13), pp 1764-1773.

202. “Hydrophobicity May Enhance Membrane Affinity and Anti-Cancer Effects of Schiff Base Vanadium (V) Catecholate Complexes” Debbie C. Crans, Jordan T. Koehn, Stephanie M. Petry, Caleb M. Glover, Asanka Wijetunga, Ravider Kaur, Aviva Levina, and Peter A. Lay. Dalton Trans., 2019, 48, 6383-6395. (Featured on the inside back cover of Dalton Transactions, vol 48)

201. “Investigating Substrate Analogs for Mycobacterial MenJ: Truncated and Partially Saturated Menaquinones” Jordan T. Koehn, Cheryle N. Beuning, Benjamin J. Peters, Sara K. Dellinger, Cameron Van Cleave, Dean C. Crick, and Debbie C. Crans. Biochemistry2019, 58(12), pp 1596-1615. Featured in Biochemistry Newsflash.

200. “Decavanadate Inhibits Mycobacterial Growth More Potently Than Other Oxovanadates” Nuttaporn Samart, Zeyad Arhouma, Santosh Kumar, Heide A. Murakami, Dean C. Crick, and Debbie C. Crans. Frontiers in Chemistry2018.

199. “Synthesis and Characterization of Partially and Fully Saturated Menaquinone Derivatives” Jordan T. Koehn, Dean C. Crick, Debbie C. Crick. ACS Omega2018, 3 (11), pp 14889-149. doi: 10.1021/acsomega.8b02620

198. “Mycobacterial MenJ: An Oxidoreductase Involved in Menaquinone Biosynthesis” Ashutosh Upahyay, Santosh Kumar, Steven A. Rooker, Jordan T. Koehn, Debbie C. Crans, Michael R. McNeil, J. Shaun Lott, Dean C. Crick. ACS Chemical Biology2018, 13 (9), pp 2498-2507.

197. “Coordination environment changes of the vanadium in vanadium-dependent haloperoxidase enzymes” Craig C. McLauchlan, Heide A. Murakami, Craig A. Wallance, and Debbie C. Crans. J. Inorg. Biochem. 2018, 186, pp 267-279.

196. “Structure Dependence of Pyridine and Benzene Derivatives on Interactions with Model Membranes” Benjamin J. Peters, Cameron Van Cleave, Allison A. Haase, John Peter B. Hough, Keisha A. Giffen-Kent, Gabriel M. Cardiff, Audra Goach Sostarecz, Dean C. Crick, and Debbie C. Crans. Langmuir, 2018, 34 (30), pp 8939-8951.

195. “Probing of ferrocenylanilines on model micelle/reverse micelle membrane and their enhanced reactivity for reactive oxidants” Ataf A. Altaf, Amin Badshah, Bahjan Lal, Shahzad Murtaza, Pabitra B. Chatterjee, Kamran Akbar, and Debbie C. Crans. Appl. Organometal Chem201832:e4334.

194. “Measurement of Interpeptidic Cu(II) Exchange Rate Constants by Static Fluorescence Quenching of Tryptophan” Cheryle N. Beuning, Béatrice Mestre-Voegtlé, Peter Faller, Christelle Hureau, and Debbie C. Crans. Inorg. Chem., 2018, 57 (9), pp 4791-4794.

193. “A Synthetic Isoprenoid Lipoquinone, Menaquinone-2, Adopts a Folded Conformation in Solution and at a Model Membrane Interface” Jordan T. Koehn, Estela S. Magallanes, Benjamin J. Peters, Cheryle N. Beuning, Allison A. Haase, Michelle J. Zhu, Christopher D. Rithner, Dean C. Crick, and Debbie C. Crans. J. Org. Chem., 2018, 83 (1), pp 275–288.

192. “Multi-modal Potentiation of Oncolytic Virotherapy by Vanadium Compounds” Mohammed Selman, Christopher Rousso, Anabel Bergeron, Hwan Hee Son, Ramya Krishnan, Nader A. El-Sayes, Oliver Varette, Andrew Chen, Fabrice Le Boeuf, Fanny Tzelepis, John C. Bell, Debbie D. Crans, and Jean-Simon Diallo. Molecular Therapy201826 (1), pp 56-69.

191. “Confinement Effects of Chemical Equilibira: Pentacyano(Pyrazine)Ferrate(II) Stability Changes within Nanosized Droplets of Water” Teofilo Borunda, Alexander J. Meyers, Mary J. Fisher, Debbie C. Crans, and Michael D. Johnson. Molecules201823 (4), pp 858-872.

190. “Speciation of metal drugs, supplements and toxins and bodily fluid controls in vitro” Aviva Levina, Debbie C. Crans, Peter A. Lay. Coord. Chem. Rev., 2017352, pp 473-498.

189. “Does anion-cation organization in Na+containing X-ray crystal structures relate to solution interactions in inhomogeneous nanoscale environments: Sodium-decavanadate in solid state materials, minerals, and microemulsions” Debbie C. Crans, Benjamin J. Peters, Xiao Wu, and Craig C. McLaughlan. Coord. Chem Rev.2017344, pp 115-130.

188. “Selenium speciation  in the Fountain Creek Watershedand its effects on fish diversity” James S. Carsella, Igor Melnykov, Sandra J. Bonetti, Irma Sánchez-Lombardo, and Debbie C. Crans. J. Biol. Inorg. Chem.201722 (5), pp 751-763.

187. “Selenium Speciation in the Fountain Creek Watershed (Colorado, USA) Correlates with Water Hardness, Ca and Mg Levels” James S. Carsella, Irma Sánchez-Lombardo, Sandra J. Bonetti, and Debbie C. Crans. Molecules201722 (5), pp 708.