Stephanie A. Tristram-Nagle
Research Professor Emerita
Biological Physics Experiment
Wean Hall 6415
412-268-3174
Education & Professional Experience
Ph.D.: UC Berkeley (1981)
Professional Societies:
American Physical Society
Biophysical Society
Association for Women in Science
AAAS
American Chemical Society
Honors and Awards:
Charles E. Kaufman Science Award, Pittsburgh Foundation (2010)
First Gluckstern Lecturer, Physics Dept., U. Mass, Amherst (2010)
Biophysical Society Avanti Award in Lipids (2003)
Research Professor, Carnegie Mellon University, 2008–16
Associate Research Professor, Carnegie Mellon University, 2005–08
Senior Research Biologist, Carnegie Mellon University, 1998–2005
Research Biologist, Carnegie Mellon University, 1986–98
Post-doctoral Research: Carnegie Mellon University, 1982–86
Research Interests
Stephanie Tristram-Nagle actively performs research into lipid membrane structure, properties and thermodynamics. Her lab explores the structure of biological phospholipids, lipid/peptide and lipid/cholesterol mixtures using oriented samples on substrates or large unilamellar vesicles using X-ray diffuse scattering with a Rigaku rotating anode and CCD detector here at CMU, and with synchrotron radiation at the Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source (CHESS). Her current focus is on the interaction of antimicrobial peptides with bacterial membrane mimics. The X-ray data yield not only structure, such as lipid area and membrane thickness, but also the bending and compression moduli of the membranes. Tristram-Nagle collaborates with MD simulators to compare experimental with simulated results. Her lab also measures lipid volumes with an Anton-Paar 5000M densitometer and D2O-H2O mixtures.
Recent Publications
Bassereau, P., Baumgart, T., Dimova, R. Evans, E.A., Nagle, J.F., Tristram-Nagle, S., A Needless But Interesting Controversy, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 118:e2025011118, Letter, (2021)
Kawakami, J., Kowalewski, T., Noonan, K.J.T., Tristram-Nagle, S., Varni, A.J., Yaron, D., Design, synthesis, and properties of a six-membered oligofuran macrocycle. Organic Chemistry Frontiers 8:1775-1782 (2021) SI
Brandner, B., Dagan, M.P., Fritz, J.R., Hall, S.B., Loney, R.W., Roche, M., Smith, P.N., Tristram-Nagle, S., Changes in Membrane Elasticity Caused by the Hydrophobic Surfactant Proteins Correlate Poorly with Adsorption of Lipid Vesicles. Soft Matter 17:3358-3366 (2021)
Fritz, J.R.,Hall, S.B., Loney, R.W., Tristram-Nagle, S., Suppression of La /Lb Phase Coexistence in the Lipids of Pulmonary Surfactant, Biophysical Journal 120:243-253 (2021)
Chen, J., Corradi, V., Dell, Z., Fritz, J.R., Hall, S.B., Kumar, K., Loney, R.W., Panzuela, S., Tieleman, D.P., Tristram-Nagle, S. Yang, Z., Location of the Hydrophobic Surfactant Proteins, SP-B and SP-C in Fluid-Phase Bilayers. The Journal of Physical Chemistry B 124:6763-6774 (2020) SI
Gawrisch, K., Klauda, J.B., Leonard, A.N., Sachs, J.N., Teague, W.E., Tristram-Nagle, S., Vanni, S., West, A., Zoni, V., How Do Ethanolamine Plasmalogens Contribute to Order and Structure of Neurological Membranes? The Journal of Physical Chemistry B 124:828-839 (2020) SI
Frank Heinrich et al., Synergistic Biophysical Techniques Reveal Structural Mechanisms of Engineered Cationic Antimicrobial Peptides in Lipid Model Membranes, Chem. Eur. J. 26, 6247 (2020)
Brian C. Seper et al., Methylene volumes in monoglyceride bilayers are larger than in liquid alkanes, Chem. Phys. Lipids 226, 104833 (2020)
Ana West et al., How Do Ethanolamine Plasmalogens Contribute to Order and Structure of Neurological Membranes? J. Phys. Chem. B 124, 828 (2020)
John F. Nagle et al., Revisiting Volumes of Lipid Components in Bilayers, J. Phys. Chem. B 123, 2697 (2019)
Akari Kumagai et al., Elastic Behavior of Model Membranes with Antimicrobial Peptides Depends on Lipid Specificity and D-enantiomers. Soft Matter 15, 1860 (2019)
J.F. Nagle, P. Cognet, F.G. Dupuy, and S. Tristram-Nagle, Structure of Gel Phase DPPC Determined by X-ray Diffraction, Chem. Phys. Lipids 218, 168 (2019)
More Publications:
ORCID Researcher ID