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Presence Current · Arkansas
Last published 2026
Sources OpenAlex · ORCID
Refreshed 2026-08-20

Jon S. Blevins

Federal Grant PI High Impact

Professor and Interim Chair

Also affiliated: Oklahoma State University (2005); University of Arkansas Medical Center (2014); Southwestern Medical Center (2005–2008); Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos (2005); Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Microbiology (2009); Bipar (1999–2001); The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (2004–2010)

Faculty Researcher

26 h-index 51 pubs 3,307 cited

  • Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial
  • Bacterial Proteins
  • Animals
  • Borrelia burgdorferi
  • Mice
  • Lyme Disease
  • Mutation
  • Staphylococcus aureus
  • Humans
  • Trans-Activators
  • Adhesins, Bacterial
  • Sigma Factor
  • Female
  • Transcription, Genetic
  • Staphylococcal Infections

Biography and Research Information

OverviewAI-generated summary

Jon S. Blevins' research focuses on bacterial genetics and the molecular mechanisms underlying the physiology and virulence of various pathogens. He has received significant federal funding from the NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for his work on tick-borne relapsing fever spirochetes. Specifically, grants have supported the development of genetic manipulation systems for *Borrelia duttonii*, the investigation of cyclic di-AMP signaling in relapsing fever *Borrelia*, and the study of cyclic di-GMP second messenger signaling in *Borrelia turicatae*.

His recent publications demonstrate a consistent focus on bacterial gene regulation and essential cellular processes. Work includes characterizing the diadenylate cyclase CdaA in *Borrelia turicatae* virulence, identifying BB0346 as a crucial component for lipoprotein localization in *Borrelia burgdorferi*, and exploring the regulation of pesticin and type VI secretion systems in *Yersinia pestis*. He also investigates the dispensability of plasmid-encoded genes in *Borrelia burgdorferi* and the role of arthropod-associated lipoproteins in the transmission cycle of *Borrelia turicatae*. Blevins' scholarship metrics include an h-index of 26 with over 3,270 citations across 49 publications, indicating a substantial research output. He collaborates with several researchers at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, including Clay D. Jackson-Litteken, Wanfeng Guo, C. Tyler Ratliff, and Madeleine G. Scott.

Metrics

  • h-index: 26
  • Publications: 51
  • Citations: 3,307

Selected Publications

  • Defining strain variation in the maintenance of <i>Borrelia turicatae</i> during hyperparasitism and transovarial transmission in the tick vector (2026)
    bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) DOI OpenAlex
  • <i>Yersinia pestis</i> plasminogen activator protease is regulated by the PhoP/PhoQ two-component system (2025)
    Journal of Bacteriology DOI OpenAlex
  • <i>Yersinia pestis</i> BipA is a novel regulator of pesticin and a type 6 secretion system (2025)
    Infection and Immunity 1 citation DOI OpenAlex
  • The plasmid-encoded members of paralogous gene family 52 are dispensable to the enzootic cycle of <i>Borrelia burgdorferi</i> (2024)
    Infection and Immunity 1 citation DOI OpenAlex
  • <i>Borrelia burgdorferi</i> BB0346 is an Essential, Structurally Variant LolA Homolog that is Primarily Required for Homeostatic Localization of Periplasmic Lipoproteins (2024)
    bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) 3 citations DOI OpenAlex
  • Development and validation of systems for genetic manipulation of the Old World tick-borne relapsing fever spirochete, Borrelia duttonii (2024)
    PLoS neglected tropical diseases 1 citation DOI OpenAlex
  • Characterization of the arthropod associated lipoprotein (Alp) in the tick-mammalian transmission cycle of Borrelia turicatae (2022)
    Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases 1 citation DOI OpenAlex
  • The Diadenylate Cyclase CdaA Is Critical for Borrelia turicatae Virulence and Physiology (2021)
    Infection and Immunity 20 citations DOI OpenAlex
  • The BB0345 Hypothetical Protein of Borrelia burgdorferi Is Essential for Mammalian Infection (2020)
    Infection and Immunity 4 citations DOI OpenAlex
  • Assessing the Contribution of an HtrA Family Serine Protease During Borrelia turicatae Mammalian Infection (2019)
    Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology 7 citations DOI OpenAlex
  • The RpoS Gatekeeper in Borrelia burgdorferi: An Invariant Regulatory Scheme That Promotes Spirochete Persistence in Reservoir Hosts and Niche Diversity (2019)
    Frontiers in Microbiology 103 citations DOI OpenAlex
  • Infection of Primary Human Alveolar Macrophages Alters Staphylococcus aureus Toxin Production and Activity (2019)
    Infection and Immunity 19 citations DOI OpenAlex
  • DksA Controls the Response of the Lyme Disease Spirochete <i>Borrelia burgdorferi</i> to Starvation (2018)
    Journal of Bacteriology 27 citations DOI OpenAlex
  • DksA controls the response of the Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi to starvation (2018)
    bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) 1 citation DOI OpenAlex
  • Generation of Conditional Mutants in Borrelia burgdorferi (2017)
    Methods in molecular biology 7 citations DOI OpenAlex

View all publications on OpenAlex →

Federal Grants 3 $891,450 total

NIH Contact PI Aug 2022 - Jul 2027

Cyclic di-AMP-dependent signaling in tickborne relapsing fever Borrelia

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases $591,178 R01
NIH Contact PI Mar 2021 - Feb 2025

Cyclic di-GMP Second Messenger Signaling in the Tickborne Relapsing Fever Spirochete, Borrelia turicatae

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases $224,272 R21
NIH Contact PI Feb 2020 - Jan 2023

Developing a system for genetic manipulation of the Old World tick-borne relapsing fever spirochete, Borrelia duttonii

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases $76,000 R03

Grants & Funding

As listed on this researcher's institutional profile. Federal awards with verified records are shown above.

  • Virulence Mechanisms of Multifunctional Borrelial Proteins NIH/Nat. Inst. of Allergy & Infectious Diseases via East Carolina University
  • New genetic approaches analyzing Borrelia burgdorferi NIH
  • Center for Microbial Pathogenesis and Host Inflammatory Responses NIH
  • Studying the roles of dinucleotide second messenger molecules in the pathogenesis of the tickborne relapsing fever spirochete, Borrelia turicatae UAMS College of Medicine
  • Rrp2-dependent gene regulation in Borrelia burgdorferi NIH
  • Blevins Start Up Account UAMS College of Medicine
  • RpoS-mediated virulence regulation in Borrelia burgdorferi NIH

Collaboration Network

36 Collaborators 18 Institutions 2 Countries

Top Collaborators

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