Schonna R. Manning
Research Associate
UTEX Culture Collection of AlgaeMain Office:205 W. 24th, BIO 312
Website
Dr. Schonna R. Manning began her career in phycology more than a decade ago investigating harmful blooms and toxic polyketide metabolites from golden algae (Prymnesium parvum, Haptophyta). She earned a Ph.D. in Plant Biology and was presented the Research Excellence Award for her dissertation, “Molecular and phytochemical investigations of the harmful, bloom-forming alga, Prymnesium parvum Carter (Haptophyta)”.
During a Postdoctoral Fellowship, Dr. Manning aided with the development of novel methods for the extraction, separation and identification of lipids relevant to the production of microalgae for biofuels and high-value natural products.
Dr. Manning oversees CCA research, education and development projects related to microalgal strain selection, biochemistry and the analysis of biomass composition. Her research integrates metabolomics-based techniques to unravel the synthesis of unique biomolecules, intersecting disciplines of biochemistry, molecular biology and analytical chemistry. Her group investigates diverse strains of microalgae to elucidate the structure, assembly and potential roles of bioactive compounds, as well as practical applications of microalgae, including fuels, feedstocks and specialty chemicals. Related projects include photobioreactor optimization for the large-scale cultivation of microalgae at the Welch Greenhouse and pilot-scale Algae Culturing Facility. Dr. Manning also assists with the development and instruction of educational workshops at UTEX, and she is currently appointed the Co-Director of the ASU-ATP3 Education and Training Program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy.
Selected Publications
Talarski AE, Manning SR, La Claire JW. In press. Transcriptome analysis of the euryhaline alga, Prymnesium parvum Carter (Haptophyta): effects of salinity on differential gene expression. Phycologia.
La Claire JW, Manning SR, Talarski AE. 2015. Semi-quantitative assay for polyketide prymnesins isolated from Prymnesium parvum (Haptophyta) cultures. Toxicon 102 (2015), 74-80.
La Claire JW, Manning SR. April 2015. Ichthyotoxins, In: Phycotoxins: Chemistry and Biochemistry, 2nd edition (Eds. L. Botana and A. Alfonso), Wiley-Blackwell Publishing, US. ISBN: 978-1-118-50036-1, 552 pages.
Manning SR, La Claire JW. 2013. Isolation of polyketide toxins from Prymnesium parvumCarter (Haptophyta) and their detection by LC/MS metabolic fingerprint analysis. Anal Biochem 442 (2), 189-195.
Jones J, Manning SR, Montoya M, Keller K, Poenie M. 2012. Extraction of algal lipids and their analysis by HPLC and mass spectrometry. J Am Oil Chem Soc 89 (8), 1371-1381.
Manning SR, La Claire JW. 2010. Prymnesins: toxic metabolites of the golden alga,Prymnesium parvum Carter (Haptophyta). Mar Drugs 8(3), 678-704.
Manning SR, La Claire JW. 2010. Multiplex PCR methods for the species-specific detection and quantification of Prymnesium parvum (Haptophyta). J Appl Phycology 22 (1), 587-597.