Introduction

Research Groups

Select Research Group Head Prof. Sir Tom Blundell Prof. Kevin Brindle Dr Bill Broadhurst Dr Guy Brown Dr Mark Carrington Prof. Paul Dupree Prof. Gerard Evan - Head of Dept Prof. Richard Farndale Dr Giorgio Favrin Dr Jenny Gallop Dr Nick Gay Dr Andrew Grace Dr Jules Griffin Dr Brian Hendrich Dr Andrew Hesketh Dr Robin Hesketh Dr Matt Higgins Dr Florian Hollfelder Dr Hee-Jeon Hong Prof. Chris Howe Dr Marko Hyvonen Prof. Steve Jackson Dr Tony Jackson Prof. Richard Jackson Prof. Ernest Laue Prof. Peter Leadlay Dr Kathryn Lilley Dr Karen Lipkow Dr Rick Livesey Prof. Ben Luisi Dr Sarah Lummis Dr Juan Mata Dr John McCafferty Prof. Jim Metcalfe Dr Masanori Mishima Dr Eric Miska Dr Tom Monie Dr Helen Mott Dr Natasha Murzina Dr Daniel Nietlispach Dr Darerca Owen Prof. Steve Oliver Dr Luca Pellegrini Dr Markus Ralser Dr Nick Robinson Prof. George Salmond Dr Deirdre Scadden Dr José Silva Prof. Austin Smith Prof. Chris Smith Dr Nancy Standart Prof. Dame Jean Thomas Dr Aviva Tolkovsky Dr Martin Welch Dr Joyce Wong Dr Nianshu Zhang

Service & Research Support Facilities

Select by Subject or Manager DNA Sequencing Facility . . . . . Mr John Lester _______________________________ Quantitative Proteomics . . . . . Dr Kathryn Lilley _______________________________ Proteomics Core Services . . . . . Dr Mike Deery _______________________________ Protein & Nucleic Acid Chemistry . . . . . Dr Len Packman _______________________________ Metabolomics . . . . . Dr Jules Griffin _______________________________ Baculovirus Facility . . . . . Dr Darerca Owen _______________________________ Biophysics Facility . . . . . Dr Katherine Stott _______________________________ Crystallographic X-ray Facility . . . . . Dr Dima Chirgadze _______________________________ NMR spectroscopy . . . . . Dr Daniel Nietlispach _______________________________ Fermentation Facility . . . . . Dr Nianshu Zhang _______________________________ Bioinformatics & Computational Biology Services . . . . . Dr Jenny Barna _______________________________ Computer & IT Support . . . . . Dr Erik Timmers _______________________________

Past members last known active weblink

Select past member of Department Dr Stephen Bell Prof. Jonathan Blackburn Dr David Brown Dr Pak-Lee Chau Dr Hal Dixon (deceased) Dr Jessica Downs Prof. David Ellar Dr Paul Kemp Dr Simon Lovell Dr Kenji Mizuguchi Dr Massimo Paoli Prof. Richard Perham Dr Peter Reynolds Dr Philip Rubery Dr Gerry Smith Dr Margaret Sunde Prof. Jamie Vandenberg Dr Kira Weissman

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Molecular Microbiology: Bacterial Quorum Sensing, Virulence, Protein Secretion, Antibiotic Regulation and Bacteriophage Abortive Infection

Research Groupings: Structural and molecular cell biology | Infection and Immunity

	Quorum sensing controls production of a carbapenem antibiotic and prodigiosin in Serratia
	Biosynthetic and regulatory prodigiosin mutants of Serratia

Our research involves multiple aspects of molecular microbiology including quorum sensing (QS), molecular pathogenesis in plant and animal pathogens, regulation and biosynthesis of antibiotics and other secondary metabolites, protein secretion systems, bacteriophage exploitation and viral abortive infection systems. We work on various Gram-negative enterobacteria, including the phytopathogen, Erwinia (Pectobacterium), Serratia species, which can be opportunistic human pathogens, Citrobacter rodentium the murine pathogen, and a spectrum of phages infecting various bacteria of fundamental, medical, agricultural or industrial biotechnology interest.

We are investigating the phenomenon of quorum sensing in which bacteria make small diffusible molecules (N-acyl homoserine lactones) as chemical communication signals reflecting cell population density status. The phenotypes regulated by quorum sensing include virulence, and exoenzyme and antibiotic production. Our research aims are to understand molecular mechanisms involved in quorum sensing, and dissect their physiological role(s), evolution and potential use in synthetic biology. We  study the genetics and biochemistry of carbapenem and prodiginine antibiotic synthesis in Erwinia and Serratia. We use genetics, transcriptomics and proteomics to investigate the physiological impacts of environmental signaling in regulation to virulence and antibiotic production in Erwinia, Serratia and Citrobacter. We also investigate molecular processes involved in proteinaceous virulence factor secretion in Erwinia. We are investigating new bacteriophages that attack a range of enteric bacteria, both in terms of host range and for the development of new genetic tools for functional genomics. We are also studying phage abortive infection systems (with bifunctional toxin:antitoxin capacity) through which bacteria control the replication of their viral parasites. The latter project also involves collaborative structural biology work.

DiGE proteomics of Erwinia (green, secreted; red, intracellular)	Bacteriophages of the murine pathogen, Citrobacter rodentium

Lab members
Katinka Apagyi, Tim Blower, Tim Carlton, Marion Cubitt, Rita Monson, Simon Poulter, Joshua Ramsay, Alison Rawlinson, Kevin Roberts, Francesca Short, Hui Tan, Evelyn Tichy, Nabil Wilf, Neil Williamson

References