Jon S. Blevins

Federal Grant PI High Impact

Professor and Interim Chair

University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences

faculty

26 h-index 49 pubs 3,247 cited

Research Areas

Microbial infections and disease research Bacterial Genetics and Biotechnology Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies Health and Medical Research Impacts Vector-borne infectious diseases Immune Response and Inflammation Protein Structure and Dynamics

Links

ORCID Lab Website Research Group UAMS TRI Profile

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OverviewAI-generated summary

Jon S. Blevins, Professor and Interim Chair at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, conducts research focused on microbial pathogenesis and host-pathogen interactions, with a particular emphasis on spirochetes, the bacteria responsible for Lyme disease and relapsing fever. His work investigates the molecular mechanisms that enable these pathogens to cause disease and survive within their hosts. Blevins has secured significant funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), including three grants totaling over $890,000, to support his studies on cyclic di-AMP and cyclic di-GMP signaling pathways in tick-borne relapsing fever spirochetes, as well as the development of genetic manipulation systems for *Borrelia duttonii*.

His recent publications explore critical aspects of bacterial virulence and physiology. These include studies on the role of the diadenylate cyclase CdaA in *Borrelia turicatae* virulence, the function and localization of the *Borrelia burgdorferi* protein BB0346, and the regulation of virulence factors in *Yersinia pestis*. Blevins also investigates the genetic makeup of spirochetes, examining the dispensability of plasmid-encoded genes in *Borrelia burgdorferi* and characterizing the arthropod-associated lipoprotein (Alp) in the transmission cycle of *Borrelia turicatae*. His research network includes collaborators from within the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, such as Clay D. Jackson-Litteken and Renny Shang-Lun Lan.

Blevins' scholarly output is marked by a high impact, evidenced by his h-index of 26 and over 3,200 citations across his 49 publications. He leads an active research group and maintains a lab website, indicating a commitment to advancing and disseminating knowledge in his field.

Metrics

h-index: 26
Publications: 49
Citations: 3,247

Selected Publications

Yersinia pestis plasminogen activator protease is regulated by the PhoP/PhoQ two-component system (2025) DOI
Yersinia pestis BipA is a novel regulator of pesticin and a type 6 secretion system (2025) DOI
The plasmid-encoded members of paralogous gene family 52 are dispensable to the enzootic cycle of Borrelia burgdorferi (2024) DOI
Borrelia burgdorferi BB0346 is an Essential, Structurally Variant LolA Homolog that is Primarily Required for Homeostatic Localization of Periplasmic Lipoproteins (2024) DOI
Development and validation of systems for genetic manipulation of the Old World tick-borne relapsing fever spirochete, Borrelia duttonii (2024) DOI
Characterization of the arthropod associated lipoprotein (Alp) in the tick-mammalian transmission cycle of Borrelia turicatae (2022) DOI
The Diadenylate Cyclase CdaA Is Critical for Borrelia turicatae Virulence and Physiology (2021) DOI