Biography:
I saw the ocean for the first time when I was seventeen and fell in love with it immediately. After a short enlistment in the US Navy as a helicopter mechanic, I studied microbial ecology at Michigan State University in the laboratory of Dr. James M. Tiedje at the Center for Microbial Ecology (Go Spartans!). During my B.S., I investigated the practical use of bioremediation of PCB contaminated soils by constructing a cloning vector and demonstrating an efficient pathway for dechlorination and mineralization of 4-chlorobiphenyl. I switched gears for my M.S. work and studied the reductive-dechlorinating bacterial dynamics in chloroethene contaminated aquifers. I decided to once again move on, and explore the water for my Ph.D. I now study viruses in the sediments of marine and estuarine environments. I’ve been able to travel a great deal during my graduate studies, spending three weeks in the Galápagos Islands too! Viruses are wicked cool and I’m glad I get to do what I love.
Research Interests:
My research involves the study of viruses and their relationship to the sediment (benthos) environment. Characterization of marine sediment viruses including abundance, morphology and genetic diversity is required to fully comprehend the considerable role that viruses play within the marine sediment environment and their potential role of viral infection within a given microbial community. I collect sediments during research cruises in the Chesapeake Bay and extract viruses from the sediments to examine how many viruses are potentially in the sediments, what they look like and are they genetically related.
Publications
Helton, R.R., L. Liu, K.E. Wommack. 2006. Assessment of factors influencing direct enumeration of viruses within estuarine sediments. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 72:4767-4774.
Helton, R.R., M.T. Cottrell, D.L. Kirchman, K.E. Wommack. 2005. Evaluation of incubation-based methods for estimating virioplankton production in estuaries. Aquat. Microb. Ecol. 41:209-219.
Winget, D.M. , K.E. Williamson, R.R. Helton, K.E. Wommack. 2005. Tangential flow diafiltration: an improved technique for estimation of virioplankton production. Aquat. Microb. Ecol. 41:221-232.
Wommack, K.E., S.J. Williamson, A. Sundbergh, R.R. Helton, B.T. Glaser, K. Portune, and S.C. Cary. 2004. An instrument for collecting discrete large-volume water samples suitable for ecological studies of microorganisms. Deep Sea Res 51:1781-1792.
Lendvay J.M., F.E. Löffler, M. Dollhopf, M.R. Aiello, G. Daniels, B.Z. Fathepure, M. Gebhard, R. Heine, R. Helton, J. Shi, R. Krajmalnik-Brown, C.L. Major, M.J. Barcelona, E. Petrovskis, R. Hickey, J.M. Tiedje, and P. Adriaens. 2003. Bioreactive barriers: A comparison of bioaugmentation and biostimulation for chlorinated solvent remediation. Environ Sci Tech 37: 1422-1431.
Rodrigues, J.L.M., O.V. Maltseva, T.V. Tsoi, R.R. Helton, J.F. Quenson III, M. Fukuda, and J.M. Tiedje. 2001. Development of a Rhodococcus recombinant strain for degradation of products from anaerobic dechlorination of PCBs. Environ Sci Tech 35: 663-668.
Presentations
Helton, R.R., K.M. Ritalahti, T.E. Hanson, F.E. Löffler, and K.E. Wommack. 2006. Detection and analysis of prophage integrases in dechlorinating bacterial populations. International Symposium for Microbial Ecology, Vienna, Austria.
Helton, R.R., K.E. Williamson, and K.E. Wommack. 2006. Get the phage out: issues in aquatic sediment virus removal for abundance and diversity analyses. The Scientific Committee for Oceanographic Research (SCOR)-working group on marine viruses., The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Helton, R.R., and K.E. Wommack. 2006. Examination of Viral Diversity in Chesapeake Bay Sediments. American Society of Limnology and Oceanography Summer Meeting, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
Helton, R.R. 2006. The unseen and the undead: viruses of marine and estuarine sediments. Delaware Biotechnology Institute Student Luncheon Seminar. Delaware Biotechnology Institute, Newark, DE.
Helton, R.R., and K.E. Wommack. 2005. Exploring the nanoworld of marine and estuarine sediment viruses. Plant and Soil Science Graduate Student Symposium, University of Delaware, Newark, DE.
Helton, R.R., K. Wang, J. Kan, D.M. Winget, and K.E. Wommack. 2005. What Lies Beneath: Chesapeake Bay Viriobenthos Diversity and Abundance. American Society for Microbiology, Atlanta, GA.
Helton, R.R., and K.E. Wommack. 2004. Bacteriophages of the Chesapeake Bay sediments: abundance and morphologies of the most copious form of microbial life. International Symposium for Microbial Ecology, Cancun, Mexico.
Williamson S.J., K.E. Williamson, R.R. Helton, and K.E. Wommack. 2004. Lysogenic virus-host interactions predominate in deep-sea diffuse-flow hydrothermal vent environments. International Symposium for Microbial Ecology, Cancun, Mexico.
Helton, R.R., J.E. Maier, and K.E. Wommack. 2004. Extraction of virus like particles (VLPs) from sediments from oligohaline, mesohaline and polyhaline zones within the Chesapeake Bay. American Society for Microbiology, New Orleans, LA.
Wommack, K.E., K.E. Williamson, D.M. Winget, R.R. Helton, S. Bench, F. Chen, K. Wang, J Kan, D. W. Coats, S. Cooney, and Y. Bettarel. 2003. Microbial Observatory for Virioplankton Ecology (MOVE): The role of viruses in the annual biological cycle of the Chesapeake Bay. NSF Microbial Observatories Workshop, Arlington, VA.
Helton, R.R., M.T. Cottrell, D.L Kirchman, and K.E. Wommack. 2003. A comparison of three incubation-based methods for estimation of bacteriophage production in the Chesapeake and Delaware bays. American Society for Microbiology, Washington, D.C.
Wommack, K.E., K.E. Williamson, D.M. Winget, R. White, R.R. Helton, and D.L. Kirchman. 2003. An improved method for estimation of virioplankton production. Ocean Sciences Meeting, Salt Lake City, UT.
Wommack, K.E., R.R. Helton, M.T Cottrell, and D.L. Kirchman. 2002. Viral and protistian control of bacterioplankton production over an oxic to anoxic gradient in Chesapeake Bay water column. Ocean Sciences Meeting, Honolulu, HI.
Helton, R.R., F.E. Löffler, M.E. Dollhopf, and J.M. Tiedje. 2001. Examination of the microbial community structure associated with two tetrachloroethene (PCE) - contaminated aquifers. International Symposium on Microbial Ecology. Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
M.E. Dollhopf, F.E. Löffler, R. Helton, R. Hickey, J. Shi, B. Fathepure, P. Adriaens, and J.M. Tiedje. 2001. Molecular monitoring of chloroethene-dechlorinating populations in a pilot scale bioremediation demonstration at the Bachman Road site in Oscoda, MI. International Symposium on Microbial Ecology, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Helton, R.R., F.E. Löffler, M.E. Dollhopf, and J.M. Tiedje. 2001. Microbial community analysis of two tetrachloroethene contaminated aquifers. American Society for Microbiology, Orlando, FL.
M. Dollhopf, F. Löffler, R. Helton, R. Hickey, J. Shi, B. Fathepure, P. Adriaens, and J. Tiedje. 2001. Molecular monitoring of chloroethene-dechlorinating populations in a pilot scale bioremediation demonstration at the Bachman Road Site in Oscoda, MI. American Society for Microbiology, Orlando FL.
Helton, R.R., F.E. Löffler, G.W. Sewell, and J.M. Tiedje. 2000. Microbial dynamics in a SERB treated tetrachloroethene (PCE) - contaminated aquifer. Hazardous Substance Research Centers Research Symposium, Asilomar, CA.
Helton, R.R., F.E. Löffler, G.W. Sewell, and J.M. Tiedje. 2000. Characterization of the microbiota in a tetrachloroethene (PCE) - contaminated aquifer following Solvent Extraction Remediation Biotreatment. American Society for Microbiology, Los Angeles, CA.
S.J. Flynn, R.R. Helton, F.E. Löffler, G.W. Sewell, and J.M. Tiedje. 1999. Distinguishing microbial communities active in the enhanced anaerobic treatment of chlorinated ethenes. Grant Review of the Great Lakes Mid-Atlantic Consortium, Baltimore, MD.
Helton, R.R., S.J. Flynn, F.E. Löffler, G.W. Sewell, and J.M. Tiedje. 1999. Feasibility of residual bioremediation strategy for a chlorinated solvent contaminated aquifer following Solvent Extraction Remediation Biotreatment. International Symposium on Subsurface Microbiology, Vail, CO.
Helton, R.R., S.J. Flynn, J.L.M. Rodrigues, T.V. Tsoi, and J.M. Tiedje. 1998. Green fluorescent protein as a molecular tag for genetically engineered PCB degrading bacterial strains of Rhodococcus species. American Society for Microbiology, Atlanta, GA.
Helton-Coll, R.R., T.V. Tsoi, and J.F. Quenson, III. 1997. Designing shuttle vector pRT for Rhodococcus and Gram-negative bacteria and construction of para-chlorobiphenyl growing strain R. erythreus NY05(pRHD34). American Society for Microbiology, Miami Beach, FL.
Helton-Coll, R.R., T.V Tsoi, J. Stoddard, and J.M. Tiedje. 1996. Designing broad host range shuttle vector pRT1 for G+/G- bacteria and construction of a recombinant strain Rhodococcus erythreus NY05(pRHD34) able to mineralize para-chlorobiphenyl. Center for Microbial Ecology Annual Forum on Environmental Remediation, Lansing, MI.
Helton-Coll, R.R., T.V. Tsoi, J.F. Quenson, III and J.M. Tiedje. 1996. Construction of chlorobiphenyl degradation pathway in Gram+ bacterium Rhodococcus erythreus strain NY05. HSRC-WERC Joint Conference on the Environment, Albuquerque, NM.
Invited presentations:
“Viriobenthos ecology.” April 25, 2006. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT.
“Phage intergrases of dechlorinating bacteria and consortia.” June 15, 2005. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA.
Ph.D. Candidate
Department of Plant and Soil Sciences
University of Delaware
Delaware Biotechnology Institute
15 Innovation Way, Room 148
Newark, DE 19711
Phone: 302-831-4510
Fax: 302-831-3447
E-Mail: rrhelton_at_udel.edu
Education
Ph.D., *December 2006, University of Delaware, Newark, DE
M.S., 2000, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
B.S., 1998, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
Websites:
