Legumes give nitrogen-supplying bacteria special access pass
December 2011
A 120-year debate on how nitrogen-fixing bacteria are able to breach the cell walls of legumes has been settled. A paper published by John Innes Centre scientists, with Professor Allan Downie as the lead author, reports that plants themselves allow bacteria in.

Once inside the right cells, these bacteria take nitrogen from the air and supply it to legumes in a form they can use, ammonia. Whether the bacteria breach the cell walls by producing enzymes that degrade it, or the plant does the work for them, has been contested since an 1887 paper in which the importance of the breach was first recognised.

"Our results are so clear we can unequivocally say that the plant supplies enzymes to break down its own cell walls and allow bacteria access," said Professor Allan Downie.

Tuberculosis drug target's structure to point to new therapies
November 2011
Scientists at the John Innes Centre led by Dr Stephen Bornemann and Dr Dave Lawson have worked out the structure of a class of enzyme that has been genetically validated as a new drug target in Mycobacterium tuberculosis, a pathogenic bacterium which is responsible for 2 million tuberculosis deaths worldwide each year. The scientists have been awarded over £500,000 by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) to work out how this enzyme works and is regulated, which will help in the development of new therapies against tuberculosis.

How parasites modify plants to attract insects
November 2011
Scientists, including Dr Saskia Hogenhout, from the John Innes Centre on Norwich Research Park have identified for the first time a specific molecule from a parasite that manipulates plant development to the advantage of the insect host.

"Our findings show how this pathogen molecule can reach beyond its host to alter a third organism," said Dr Hogenhout.

JIC success at Biotechnology YES
November 2011
A team of students from the John Innes Centre are through to the final of a national business plan competition, having won through from their regional heat. The Biotechnology Young Entrepreneurs Scheme (YES) is an annual business plan competition for PhD students and early career postdocs.

The winning team from JIC, HortiSense, included Daniel Tromans (working with Dr David Lawson), Farzana Miah (working with Dr Stephen Bornemann), Philippa Borrill and Tilly Eldridge.

Microbiology to play crucial role in ensuring food security
November 2011
Professor Mike Peck of the Institute of Food Research has joined other experts from the Society for General Microbiology in launching a position statement on food security and safety. This sets out the key role that microbiology will play in ensuring that the 7 billion people in the world have access to safe and nutritious food.

"Food security and safety is concerned with the production of sufficient safe food for all. The world is already experiencing a food security and safety crisis. These problems are likely to be exacerbated by the increase in the global population expected in the next few decades," said Professor Peck.

New NRP science magazine "Scisence" launched
October 2011
A group of PhD students from the John Innes Centre, The Institute of Food Research and the University of East Anglia have got together to launch a new science magazine "Scisense". The magazine, which is currently published electronically, http://www.scisensenrp.co.uk, is designed for students and is intended to promote the ground-breaking science taking place across the Norwich Research Park and across the world. The first issue includes articles on antibiotic research in the labs of Mervyn Bibb, Matt Hutchings, and Tony Maxwell as well as an interview with Professor Jon Clardy from Harvard Medical School.

Night at the museum for IFR scientists
October 2011
Combase, the predictive microbiology database co-ordinated by IFR, was recently showcased to a public audience at the Natural History Museum in London, at an event designed to let people get hands-on with cutting edge science and meet the people behind it.

Marina Munoz-Cuevas and Olivia Csernus (pictured on left), who work in Dr Jozsef Baranyi's research group at IFR, demonstrated the Combase system to hundreds of museum visitors on the night. The Combase database contains collections of data relating to how various food-borne microorganisms survive and grow in different food materials. The database is therefore incredibly valuable to food processing and packaging companies, who can consult it to ensure that their production lines and practices are safe.

Researchers to identify the secrets of Salmonella's survival
October 2011
IFR researchers are to investigate how Salmonella survives during its lifecycle within our bodies, as a way of finding chinks in its armour that can be exploited to develop new therapies. The researchers have been awarded over £400,000 by BBSRC to work together with colleagues at the University of Sheffield to identify the different ways in which Salmonella obtains its energy for growth and survival within the two types of host cells.

Once inside our bodies, Salmonella invades the epithelial cells that line the gut and reproduces, and can become systemic by invading and growing in macrophage cells, which are part of the body’s immune defences. "We inferred that Salmonella uses different pathways to generate the energy required for growth and survival in macrophages and epithelial cells," said Dr Arthur Thompson. "What we want to do now is work out what these pathways are. Does Salmonella use anything from the host cells to contribute to its growth?"

Crowd-sourcing the E. coli O104:H4 outbreak
September 2011
Ten variants of the deadly Escherichia coli strain that hit Germany in May 2011 have been sequenced across the world. The unprecedented level of collaboration across the scientific community should give insight into how the outbreak arose, says a scientist at the Society for General Microbiology's Autumn Conference 2011.

Sequencing of the bacterium started in early June at BGI, China. Their sequence was provided in draft form to the scientific community as a crowd-sourcing project. This allowed scientists, including those at The Genome Analysis Centre (TGAC) in Norwich to identify key disease-causing genes. Dr Lisa Crossman, Microbial Genome Project Leader at TGAC, explained, "We have found that the strain responsible for the outbreak carries a very high number of genes known to be involved in disease. These include genes that influence the bacterium's ability to attach to surfaces and survival genes that increase tolerance to high acidity, low oxygen, UV light and antibiotics."

Novel method for increasing antibiotic yields
September 2011
A novel way of increasing the amounts of antibiotics produced by bacteria has been discovered that could markedly improve the yields of these important compounds in commercial production. It could also be valuable in helping to discover new compounds. With the ever-growing threat from antibiotic resistance, these tools will be very useful in ensuring that we have enough of these useful compounds in the future.

The majority of antibiotics we know of today are produced naturally by a group of soil bacteria called Streptomyces. In work carried out initially at the John Innes Centre, Professor Mervyn Bibb and collaborator Dr Koji Yanai from a Japanse laboratory discovered 36 repeating copies of one gene cluster in a strain of Streptomyces that had been repeatedly selected to over-produce the antibiotic kanamycin. Based on this observation Prof Bibb and colleagues have developed a system for the targeted amplification of gene clusters which they believe will work for many other Streptomyces strains and antibiotics, and may also uncover new, undiscovered antibiotics by amplifying cryptic gene clusters in other Streptomyces species.

Read the full publication.

Tuning natural antimicrobials to improve their effectiveness at battling superbugs
August 2011
Clostridium difficile is a common and dangerous source of hospital-acquired infections. At the moment, antibiotics are used to treat infections, but C. difficile is adept at acquiring resistance, meaning the number of effective antibiotics is ever decreasing. This has driven the search for new antimicrobials, and at IFR Melinda Mayer and Arjan Narbad have been focussing on bacteriophage endolysins. These are relatively short proteins produced by viruses that specifically target certain species of bacteria and then break open the cell walls. New research is showing that it is possible to 'tune' these endolysins to increase their effectiveness and aid their development as a new weapon in the battle against superbugs. Working with colleagues at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Hamburg, the structure of the catalytic domain of endolysin CD27L has been solved and used to design mutants to investigate what controls the specificity and activity of the endolysins.

JIC student brings home new expertise to answer question in antibiotic resistance
August 2011
John Innes Centre researchers, Tung Le working with Professor Mark Buttner (pictured, standing on right) and Dr David Lawson, have worked out the structure of a complex formed when a protein binds to DNA. This has proved to be key in understanding how an antibiotic-producing organism controls resistance to its own antibiotic, and may be an example of how other antibiotic producers regulate export to prevent self-toxicity.

"This provides a mechanism that couples the potentially lethal biosynthesis of the antibiotic to its export, which has wider implications for resistance to clinically important antibiotics," commented Prof. Buttner. "However, we needed to know more detail about the interaction between SimR and DNA."

The crystal structure of the TetR family transcriptional repressor SimR bound to DNA and the role of a flexible N-terminal extension in minor groove binding, Le, T.B.K., Schumacher, M.A., Lawson, D.M., Brennan, RG and Buttner, M.J. Nucleic Acids Research.

Read the full publication.

Antibiotic production controls unravelled to help in clinical development
July 2011
JIC scientists researching a new antibiotic have pieced together the way it is produced by a soil bacterium by working out the functions of its genes. Microbisporicin is produced by a soil bacterium from Indonesia called Microbispora corallina. A clearer understanding of how microbisporicin's synthesis is regulated by the bacterium will provide the basis for finding ways of optimising its production and so become a new weapon in the fight against multi-drug resistant pathogens.

Lantibiotics are a class of antibiotics produced by bacteria, and microbisporicin represents a potent example of the class, which has so far been under-exploited for clinical use. That could now change, as preclinical trials are showing that it is highly active against a large range of bacteria. To aid its pharmaceutical development, Professor Mervyn Bibb and Dr Lucy Foulston at the John Innes Centre, identified the genes that Microbispora corallina uses to regulate microbisporicin production.

Feed-Forward Regulation of Microbisporicin Biosynthesis in Microbispora corallina, Foulston, L. and Bibb, M. Journal of Bacteriology, p. 3064-71, Vol. 193. Read the full publication.

John Innes Foundation Prizes for Excellence in Scientific Research and Excellence in Science Communication
July 2011
Four postgraduate research students from the John Innes Centre and The Sainsbury Laboratory have received awards from the John Innes Foundation for the excellence of their research and how well they communicate it.

Dr Lucy Foulston (top left in picture), formally of Prof Mervyn Bibb's lab, and Dr Ben Schwessinger (top right of picture), formally of the Zipfel group, were both awarded the JIF Prize for Excellence in Scientific Research.

The John Innes Foundation also awarded prizes to current students Liliana Cano (bottom left in left in picture), in Prof Sophien Kamoun's group, and Alaa Aljabali (bottom right in picture), in David Evan's group, for Excellence in Science Communication.

Transatlantic award for microbiology student
July 2011
Daniel Tromans has received the Heatley-Payne Award from the Society of General Microbiology, which has allowed him to travel to the US to carry out a short research visit and present his work at the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Microbiology (ASM).

Daniel is a second year Norwich Research Park PhD student based at the School of Chemistry at the University of East Anglia and the John Innes Centre. His studentship is jointly supervised by UEA's Rebecca Goss, and David Lawson and Mervyn Bibb at JIC. He is investigating the biosynthesis of pacidamycin, a naturally produced antibiotic made by the soil bacterium Streptomyces.

Genome analysis will reveal how bacteria in our guts make themselves at home
June 2011
Dr. Lisa Crossman and other researchers from TGAC and IFR have published the genome sequence of a gut bacterium to help understand how these organisms evolved their symbiotic relationships with their hosts.

The IFR and TGAC researchers are now hoping to use this information to elucidate exactly what it is that restricts certain Lactobacillus reuteri strains to specific hosts.

L. reuteri confers certain health benefits, and has a role in modulating the immune system. A greater understanding of how L. reuteri host adaptation will help in efforts to exploit these health benefits, for example in the production of new probiotics.

Genome sequence of a vertebrate gut symbiont Lactobacillus reuteri ATCC 53608. J. Bacteriol. 2011 Read the full publication.

Microbelog - blogging the latest developments in microbiology
June 2011
Dr Matt Hutchings along with Dr Ben Thompson, who writes science blogs for the Wellcome Trust, have created a new blog which opens up the amazing and hidden world of microbes (bacteria, archaea, fungi and viruses) and brings awareness about the latest developments in microbiology. See their blog Microbelog for more information.

TGAC helps in crowd-sourcing analysis of E. coli strain
June 2011
Scientists from The Genome Analysis Centre (TGAC) have identified several genes which may be key factors in the recent E.coli outbreak of strain 0104:H4. The strain has now been implicated in a number of hospitalisations and deaths, particularly in Germany. The outbreak has also had a high economic impact on the fresh vegetable market, particularly in Spain and across the EU. The studies have been made possible by the public release of genome sequence data from BGI, China.

Dr. Lisa Crossman, TGAC Microbial Genomes Project Leader said "By studying the genetic factors involved in the survival of this bacterium on surfaces we hope to get an angle on how this organism has been able to get a foothold in the global food chain."

Bridging the gap – JIC hosts South African biotechnology students
June 2011
Three research students from the University of Pretoria are currently visiting and working at the John Innes Centre in prominent biotechnology laboratories, learning the skills needed to work in this field.

Discovery opens the door to electricity from microbes
May 2011
Using bacteria to generate energy is a signifiant step closer following a breakthrough discovery by scientists at the University of East Anglia. The project is led by Dr Clarke, Prof David Richardson and Prof Julea Butt, in collaboration with colleagues at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in the US.

The discovery means scientists can now start developing ways to 'tether' bacteria directly to electrodes - creating efficient microbial fuel cells or 'bio-batteries'. The advance could also hasten the development of microbe-based agents that can clean up oil or uranium pollution, and fuel cells powered by human or animal waste.

Future of antibiotics discussed on BBC One's Bang Goes the Theory
April 2011
Professors Tony Maxwell and Sir David Hopwood discuss the development and future of antibiotics on BBC One's Bang Goes the Theory.

The full television programme, which features a discussion with Professor Tony Maxwell, can be seen here until 4th May 2011 - http://www.bbc.co.uk/bang, series 4, episode 4.

Four PhD students present their work at The House of Commons
March 2011
Four PhD students (Alaa Aljabali (JIC), Anthony Ash (IFR), Faye Jeffers (IFR) and Emma Meader (IFR)) from the Norwich Research Park recently presented their work to an audience of MPs and leading scientists at The House of Commons. They were selected for the SET for Britain poster exhibition, organised by The Parliamentary and Scientific Committee.

The aim of SET for Britain is to encourage, support and promote Britain's early-stage and early-career research scientists, engineers and technologists who are the "engine-room" of continued progress in and development of UK research and R&D, and ultimately of UK plc.

Emma Meader has been looking at a new way of preventing Clostridium difficille infection, the leading cause of hospital-acquired diarrhoea.

Click here to read the IFR news article.
Click here to read the JIC news article.

More molecules for Tuberculosis
March 2011
Scientists are collaborating on a new international research project to identify antibiotics that can kill tuberculosis and fight resistant strains. "We want to accelerate the discovery of new compounds that can be turned into effective drugs," said Professor Tony Maxwell from the John Innes Centre, a key player in "More Medicines for Tuberculosis", a new European research project.

Genome sequencing used to assess the threat to biosecurity from a novel form of Clostridium botulinum
March 2011
Professor Mike Peck and his research group at the Institute of Food Research (IFR) on the Norwich Research Park have sequenced the genome of a novel strain of Clostridium botulinum, one of the most dangerous pathogens known to man. The strain produces an unusual botulinum neurotoxin, known as type A5 neurotoxin, which was isolated by the Health Protection Agency (HPA), following a case of wound botulism.

"Our analysis of the genome sequence indicates that while the type of neurotoxin formed is unusual, the organism itself appears closely related to other strains of Clostridium botulinum, and is likely to pose a similar threat to food safety and biosecurity" said Professor Peck.

What is good for you is bad for infectious bacteria
March 2011
Plants are able to protect themselves from most bacteria, but some bacteria are able to breach their defences. In research to be published in Science (Science 4 March 2011: Vol. 331 pp. 1185-1188 ), scientists have identified the genes used by some strains of the bacterium Pseudomonas to overwhelm defensive natural products produced by plants of the mustard family, or crucifers.

"Microbes only become pathogens when they find a way to infect a host and overwhelm the host defences," said lead author Dr Jun Fan from the John Innes Centre on the Norwich Research Park.

"Our findings answer some important questions about host-pathogen biology."

Engineered bacterium is helping in the search for new antibiotics
March 2011
To help in the search for new antibiotics JIC scientists, Juan Pablo Gomez-Escribano and Professor Mervyn Bibb, have adapted a strain of Streptomyces coelicolor to express clusters of genes found from genome sequencing projects whose functions are unknown.

The strains are now being used by a number of different research groups. "We believe that these strains can make a major contribution to the discovery of novel natural products and may contribute significantly to addressing the urgent need for new antibiotics," said Prof Bibb.

Key to aphid invasion success found
February 2011
Aphids are some of the most destructive insect pests of crop plants, not only through the damage they cause from feeding but also through transmitting a variety of economically important diseases. Part of what makes them so effective is the way they can control some of the activities of plants, suppressing their defences and so helping the aphids feed. New research by Dr Jorunn Bos, working with Dr Saskia Hogenhout from the John Innes Centre, has shown that just as plant pathogens produce effector proteins that manipulate the plant's defences, aphids can also produce effector proteins in their saliva that affect plant defense responses and/or aphid reproductive performance.

John Innes Centre Friday Seminars open to the scientific community
February 2011
18 February 2011: 11:30
Xanthomonas TAL effectors in fundamental and applied research
Professor Thomas Lahaye, Institute of Genetics, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich
In the JIC Merton Auditorium
Hosted/Organised by Jonathan Jones

25 February 2011: 11:30
The bacterial pathogen Listeria monocytogenes: a model or a reference?
Professor Pascale Cossart, Pasteur Institute
In the JIC Merton Auditorium
Hosted/Organised by Allan Downie

New series of inaugural lectures
January 2011
From digital youth culture to extreme flooding, a new series of free public lectures from newly appointed professors will be launching on January 18th at the University of East Anglia.

Prof. Julea Butt of Biophysical Chemistry will be giving her talk on February 22nd.

Norwich gene hunters tackle crop diseases
December 2010
Norwich scientists are on the trail of some of the most economically damaging organisms that infect crops worldwide. Published in the same edition of the journal Science are a series of studies of plant pathogen genomes. One study, led by Professor Sophien Kamoun, examined how the genome of the pathogen that causes potato late blight evolves as it jumps from one host plant to another. "It is important to understand how the pathogen adapts to its plant hosts. In this latest study we have learnt more about how the pathogen evolves to attack new hosts." said Professor Kamoun.

Two further studies focus on the parasites that cause downy mildew (an oomycete disease of many crops including maize, grapes and lettuce) and powdery mildew (a fungal disease of barley). The genomes have been sequenced in separate research collaborations, one involving John Innes Centre scientists and the other The Sainsbury Laboratory. Analysis revealed that the parasites have become specialised to live solely on their plant host and have dispensed with the genes that would be needed to survive elsewhere. Instead they have focussed on genes that help them stealthily take control of host cells. The genome sequences reveal large numbers of effector proteins, the molecules that invade plant cells to suppress plant immunity.

John Innes Centre article
The Sainsbury Laboratory article

John Innes Centre sets up training links with Southern Africa
December 2010
The Biotechnology Young Entrepreneurs Scheme (YES) has proved to be a successful model for introducing young researchers at JIC to the world of business and entrepreneurship. Recently, a team of scientists from JIC has helped to establish something similar in Southern Africa.

The JIC scientists were Dr Michael McArthur, co-founder of Procarta Biosystems Ltd, a successful spin-out company from JIC science, Dr Lesley Boyd, JIC's International Research Manager for International Development, Eva Thuenemann, a PhD student who recently entered Biotechnology YES and Prof Nick Brewin.

Sainsbury Laboratory Research scoops international award
December 2010
Professor Sophien Kamoun of The Sainsbury Laboratory has been jointly awarded a prestigious Daiwa Adrian Prize by The Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation for his work on the interactions between plants and disease-causing pathogens.

Professor Kamoun and Dr Terauchi will receive their prize at an awards ceremony to be held at the Royal Society on the 2nd December 2010.

'Missing' bacteria in Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Ulcerative Colitis patients identified
November 2010
Scientists have identified some bacteria that are low in abundance in the gut of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and ulcerative colitis (UC) patients compared to healthy adults. This finding could be relevant to preventing or managing these conditions to maintain health.

"A better understanding of which bacteria or bacterial populations are relevant to ulcerative colitis and IBS is important if microbial interventions are to be used in preventing or managing these conditions," said Dr Arjan Narbad from the Institute of Food Research.

The work was published in the journal BMC Gastroenterology and was funded through IFR's strategic programme grant from the BBSRC and by the Ministry of Higher Education of Saudi Arabia in the form of a PhD studentship to Samah Noor.

Procarta secures major new investment to continue development of novel antibiotics
November 2010
Procarta, a spin-out company from John Innes Centre science, has secured up to £1.25million funding to continue the development of its novel DNA-based antibiotic technology to help combat drug-resistant infections.

Dr Michael McArthur, Procarta's scientific co-founder and CSO with Prof. Mervyn Bibb, commented: "Coming on the back of positive scientific results, this raise validates the Procarta's platform's promise to cope with the emerging threat of antibiotic resistance. We are thrilled to see this capital infusion which will allow us to drive all of our programmes forward and build on the early-stage interest expressed by major pharmaceutical companies."

JIC/SL Undergraduate Summer Research Training Programme
October 2010
Applications are now open for the 2011 JIC/SL Undergraduate Summer Research Training Programme in which successful applicants can gain research experience in plant and microbial sciences.

Open to students from any scientific discipline.

Read about the 2010 Undergraduate Research Training Programme here.

PhD Studentship Opportunities
October 2010
The list of available PhD Studentships/Research Degrees at the Institute of Food Research has now been published.

A number of PhD Studentships/Research degrees at the John Innes Centre and Sainsbury Laboratory are now available. They are also recruiting for the prestigious fully-funded Rotation PhD Programme in Plant Sciences and Microbiology.

Available PhD Studentship/Research degree opportunities at the University of East Anglia, Biological Sciences.

Innovation and Innovators - Dr Michael McArthur
October 2010
Dr Michael McArthur, winner of the BBSRC's Most Promising Innovator of the Year Award, describes how his work at the John Innes Centre is now being successfully commercialised. Dr McArthur co-founded Procarta Biosystems with Prof. Mervyn Bibb to commercialize a new class of antibiotic to combat drug-resistant infections: transcription factor decoys (TFDs).

Dr Michael McArthur, Most Promising Innovator of the Year, collected £5,000 at the gala award ceremony at Canary Wharf, London.

IFR develops new method for detecting Clostridium botulinum spores
October 2010
IFR has collaborated in the development of a new method for detecting spores of non-proteolytic Clostridium botulinum. This bacterium is the major health hazard associated with refrigerated convenience foods, and these developments give the food industry and regulators more quantitative information on which to base the procedures that ensure food safety.

Professor Mike Peck, Acting Programme Leader (Bacterial Foodborne Pathogens) at IFR, says the economic and social costs associated with foodborne botulism are immense. "The fatality rate is in the region of 10% of cases, while full recovery may take months or even years. It is estimated that the economic cost per case associated with commercial food is $30M in the US." He adds that stringent precautions taken by industry ensure that foodborne botulism is rare in the UK.

The third John Innes-Rudjer Bošković Summer School in Applied Molecular Microbiology
September 2010
As part of the John Innes Centre’s goal to equip the scientific leaders of the future, the third John Innes-Rudjer Bošković Summer School in Applied Molecular Microbiology was recently held, giving graduate students and post-docs from 18 countries the latest developments in the study of microbial metabolites.

Professor Sir David Hopwood, FRS, John Innes Emeritus Fellow, is co-director of the summer schools with Julian Davies of the University of British Columbia, and Mervyn Bibb and Govind Chandra of JIC are lecturers on the courses.

MSc in Biotechnology for a Sustainable Future
September 2010
Understanding and harnessing the metabolic diversity of living organisms, for example in the production of biofuels and pharmaceuticals, will make a huge contribution to developing a sustainable global environment in the 21st Century.

This is the ethos that permeates the innovative MSc Biotechnology programme for UEA. The one year course is divided into two parts.

MSci degree in Microbiology
September 2010
Microbiologists are at the forefront of biotechnology research across a vast and diverse range of topics. This newly launched programme provides for the advanced study in concepts underpinning modern molecular approaches to microbiology and training in experimental techniques.

Ants found to use multiple antibiotics as weed killers
August 2010
Scientists at the University of East Anglia, have shown that fungus-farming ants are using multiple antibiotics as weed killers to maintain their fungus gardens.

Research led by Dr Matt Hutchings and published today in the journal BMC Biology shows that ants use the antibiotics to inhibit the growth of unwanted fungi and bacteria in their fungus cultures which they use to feed their larvae and queen.

Dr Hutchings said: "We found a new antifungal compound that is related to a clinically important antifungal named nystatin so we’re excited about the potential of these ants and other insects to provide us with new antibiotics for medical use."

View the live feed of the ant cam here.

John Innes Foundation Student Prizes 2010
August 2010
The John Innes Foundation has announced the winners of the 2010 John Innes Foundation Student Prizes for Excellence in Scientific Research and Excellence in Science Communication.

The prizes for Excellence in Scientific Research are awarded to Alex Graf and Sebastian Marquardt and the prizes for Excellence in Science Communication have been awarded to Colette Matthewman and Giulia Morieri.

Giulia Morieri (pictured), a member of Professor Allan Downie's lab, was awarded for her considerable work in illustrating the science behind food security to both the scientific community and the lay public.

IFR researchers have demonstrated a potential new way of preventing spoilage in cheese
August 2010
Late-blowing in cheese production is a significant problem, causing spoilage and losses that contribute to wastage and decrease efficiency. Funded by the BBSRC, researchers at IFR have identified and characterised a naturally occurring microorganism that specifically attacks C. tyrobutyricum, the organism behind late-blowing.

In research published in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Melinda Mayer, Arjan Narbad and colleagues demonstrate the potential use of this bacteriophage for controlling C. tyrobutyricum. The bacteriophage produces a protein, called an endolysin, which recognises C. tyrobutyricum and breaks open its cells. The group sequenced the genome of the bacteriophage and identified the gene encoding the endolysin. Cloning this gene into E. coli allowed them to produce the endolysin protein to assess its ability to control C. tyrobutyricum levels.

Key milestone towards the development of a new clinically useful antibiotic
July 2010
Scientists from the John Innes Centre have identified the genes necessary for making a highly potent and clinically unexploited antibiotic in the fight against multi-resistant pathogens.

"Lantibiotics are antibiotic molecules produced by soil bacteria, and we are studying probably the most potent one known, microbisporicin, which is active against many different pathogens," said Professor Mervyn Bibb from the John Innes Centre, co-author on the paper to be published in PNAS.

The producing bacterium, Microbispora corallina, is difficult to work with. It grows very slowly and no tools existed for its genetic manipulation. PhD student Lucy Foulston developed the tools herself. She then took advantage of new developments in genome sequencing to identify and then isolate the M. corallina gene cluster responsible for microbisporicin production.

Lifeline for antibiotic of last resort
July 2010
An international team of scientists has uncovered how bacteria sense vancomycin, a mechanism that triggers resistance to this powerful antibiotic.

"Vancomycin resistance is thankfully still rare in MRSA, but if it became more widespread we could risk edging backwards to the pre-antibiotic era," says Professor Mark Buttner from the John Innes Centre, an institute of BBSRC. "We need to have a back-up ready in case resistance becomes more common."

'A vancomycin photoprobe identifies the histidine kinase VanSsc as a vancomycin receptor' was published online in Nature Chemical Biology, 11 April 2010, doi 10.1038/NCHEMBIO.350

Spitting out detergents and chewing up pollutants
July 2010
A team of scientists from UEA and Dundee have discovered a novel way in which Streptomyces bacteria export and display proteins on their cell surface. Led by Dr Matt Hutchings (UEA) in collaboration with Professor Tracy Palmer (Dundee) the team have exploited this natural pathway to develop strains of Streptomyces and Bacillus bacteria that can secrete or cell surface display proteins that could be useful for industry or medicine. This technology has been patented by UEA and licensed exclusively to PBL.

The research is described in a paper published in the journal Molecular Microbiology (doi 10.1111/j.1365-2958.2010.07261.x). The team anticipate that this technology will be widely applicable for industrial and biomedical use, for example to produce enzymes for biological washing powders or antibodies for therapeutic use. The work was funded by research grants from the BBSRC and technology development grants from the BBSRC and UEA.

GM Trial to reduce agrochemicals
June 2010
A field trial of GM potatoes is being planted this week to test whether genes from wild relatives can successfully protect commercial potato varieties from late blight – the disease that caused the Irish potato famine – without the need to spray fungicides.

At the moment British farmers spray on average 15 times a year to protect against potato late blight.

"We have isolated genes from two different wild potato species that confer blight resistance," said Professor Jonathan Jones from the Sainsbury Laboratory on Norwich Research Park. "Similar genes are found in all plants, and we are now testing whether these ones work in a field environment to protect a commercial potato variety, Desiree, against this destructive potato disease."

What is the JI's most significant contribution?
May 2010
The John Innes Centre and the Sainsbury Laboratory were recently ranked number one of the world's "top institutions in plant and animal sciences." But now the John Innes Centre wants you to vote on what you think is the most important contribution it has made to plant and microbial science over the last 100 years.

One of the five research areas, which Prof. Mervyn Bibb is supporting and can be voted for, is Antibiotic Research. The most significant contribution being JIC pioneered the genome sequencing of Streptomyces.

The winner will be announced in July as JIC brings its centenary celebrations to a close.
So vote now!

Forward Look Conference - 14th July 2010
May 2010
The John Innes Centenary year will close with a forward look conference in July 2010, which will take place at The Royal Institution, Faraday Theatre, London; where researchers will look 100 years on and discuss what they think the grand challenges of the future will be.

Appearing will be:

• Prof. Merv Bibb, Prof. Sir David Hopwood, FRS and Prof. Tony Maxwell speaking regarding Mining Microbes.
• Prof. Phil Poole and Prof. Ray Dixon, FRS discussing Sustainable Nutrition.
• Prof. Jonathan Jones, FRS, Dr Saskia Hogenhout and Dr Cyril Zipfel talking about Combating Pests and Disease

Click here for the full programme

Biofilm production aids campylobacter survival
March 2010
Scientists at the Institute of Food Research have found a way that the foodborne pathogen Campylobacter can survive in the environment. Campylobacter is the main cause of food poisoning in Europe and America.

Campylobacter cannot survive in the oxygen levels in the air, which forces the bacterium to adapt for survival in the food chain. One such a survival strategy is to form a biofilm, whereby the bacteria stick to a surface and encase themselves in a sticky 'slime' which protects them.

"While biofilms are well established in the lifestyle and success of other pathogenic bacteria, their role in the lifestyle of Campylobacter was still unclear. We now have developed a model where the biofilm plays a central role in the transmission of Campylobacter via the food chain, and this may lead to new antimicrobial approaches, like disrupting the biofilm matrix or prevention of biofilm formation." commented Dr. Arnoud van Vliet.

Scientists make TB bug suicidal
March 2010
Dr Steph Bornemann and scientists from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University (Einstein), in New York, have identified a new class of drug target that tricks tuberculosis bacteria into suicidal self-poisoning. Researchers identified the role that an enzyme called GlgE plays in Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the cause of tuberculosis and the leading cause of death worldwide from bacterial pathogens. It claims about two million lives every year.

"With the advent of antibiotics, TB became treatable and at one point eradication was believed possible," says Dr Steph Bornemann from the John Innes Centre.

"But TB has re-emerged as a major global health threat due to poverty, a deadly synergy with HIV and the emergence of drug resistant strains that are virtually untreatable with current therapies."

Together the scientists have identified a four-step metabolic pathway involving GlgE that represents a new target for anti-tuberculosis drugs.

New defences deployed against plant diseases
March 2010
An international team led by scientists at the Sainsbury Laboratory in Norwich have transferred broad spectrum resistance against some important plant diseases across different plant families. This breakthrough provides a new way to produce crops with sustainable resistance to economically important diseases.

Plants have a defence system, based on pattern recognition receptors (PRRs). PRRs recognise molecules that are essential for pathogen survival. These molecules are less likely to mutate without harming the pathogen’s survival, making resistance to them more durable in the field. However, very few of these PRRs have been identified to date. Dr Cyril Zipfel and his group at the Sainsbury Laboratory in Norwich, UK, took a Brassica-specific PRR that recognises bacteria, and transformed it into the Solanaceae plants Nicotania benthaminia and tomato. These plants then showed drastically enhanced resistance against many different bacteria indicating that this approach provides a new biotechnological solution to engineering disease resistance in plants.

JIC scientist wins prestigious national award
March 2010
Dr Michael McArthur has been named the winner of 'Most Promising Innovator of the Year' award for his work using novel antibacterials to combat drug-resistant bacterial infections. Dr McArthur has developed novel technologies to combat drug resistant bacterial infections, such as MRSA and a spin-out company from the John Innes Centre, Procarta Biosystems, is now taking this technology through to the marketplace.

"Over the last decade all the major pharmaceutical companies have been bringing fewer antibiotics to the market, some have even departed the field altogether, a trend that is likely to be exacerbated by resistance issues. Procarta's novel solution not only tackles antibiotic resistance but also is a solution which should be far less susceptible to resistance" said Michael.

Clostridium difficile bacteriophage endolysin technology
January 2010
Sarum Biosciences Limited ("Sarum") and PBL, the UK technology management company, announced on 22nd February the signing of an exclusive worldwide licence agreement which enables Sarum to develop and exploit therapeutic and diagnostic applications of a bacteriophage endolysin protein for the treatment and detection of Clostridium difficile, a serious healthcare concern both within the UK and the rest of the world.

"Using bacterial endolysins has been of interest to IFR for many years in the food context," said Dr Arjan Narbad of the IFR, an institute of the BBSRC, which funded the study. "Now we have an endolysin that is active specifically against C. difficile we are looking forward to developing it into a potent weapon against this problem."

Rock-breathing bacteria could generate electricity and clean up oil spills
December 2009
A discovery by scientists at the University of East Anglia could contribute to the development of systems that use domestic or agricultural waste to generate clean electricity.

The findings could be applied to help in the development of new microbe-based technologies such as fuel cells, or 'bio-batteries', powered by animal or human waste, and agents to clean up areas polluted by oil or uranium.

"This is an exciting advance in our understanding of bacterial processes in the Earth’s sub-surfaces," said Prof David Richardson, of UEA's School of Biological Sciences, who is leading the project.

Two heads better than one in new antibiotic method
December 2009
An antibiotic that binds to a well-established target in a novel and unexpected way could be the inspiration for designing new, more potent antibacterial drugs.

"A completely new way to beat bacteria is an exciting find at a time when resistance to existing antibiotics is growing," said Professor Tony Maxwell from the John Innes Centre, lead author on the research published in Science.

'A crystal structure of the bifunctional antibiotic, simocyclinone D8, bound to DNA gyrase' by M Edwards (JIC), R Flatman (JIC), L Mitchenall (JIC), C Stevenson (JIC), T Le (JIC), T Clarke (University of East Anglia), A McKay (University College London), H-P Fiedler (Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen), M Buttner (JIC), D Lawson (JIC) and A Maxwell (JIC) Science 4 December 2009: Vol. 326. no. 5958, pp. 1415 - 1418 DOI: 10.1126/science.1179123

A sticky solution for identifying effective probiotics
November 2009
Scientists at the IFR and UEA have crystallised a protein that may help gut bacteria bind to the gastrointestinal tract. The protein could be used by probiotic producers to identify strains that are likely to be of real benefit to people.

"Probiotics need to interact with cells lining the gut to have a beneficial effect, and if they attach to surfaces in the gut they are more likely to stick around long enough to exert their activity," says Dr Nathalie Juge from the Institute of Food Research.

Mucus adhesion has been well studied for pathogenic bacteria, but precisely what enables commensal (our gut bacteria) bacteria to stick is not known. In a paper published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, IFR and UEA scientists have obtained the first crystal structure of a mucus-binding protein.

JIF Prize for Excellence in Science Communication
October 2009
At the Annual Science Meeting, Frank Oldfield (Chairman of the John Innes Foundation Trustees) presented the awards for the newly introduced JIF student prizes for Excellence in Science Communication to Jan Claesen, a graduate student in Prof. Mervyn Bibb's group, and Tilly Crumpton-Taylor a student in Alison Smith’s group in Metabolic Biology.

Microbes in Norwich Meeting - 27th November 2009
October 2009
The Microbes in Norwich Meeting is to take place on Friday 27th November, 9.45am - 5pm, at the John Innes Conference Centre. This full day event, presents a range of microbial research from across NRP with speakers from IFR, JIC, UEA and TSL. There will also be a poster session run during the coffee and lunch breaks.
Registration for this event is required.
Speakers confirmed are:
Saccha Luccini (IFR) Transcriptional control of environmentally-responsive genes in Salmonella
Ane Sesma (JIC) Unravelling post-transcriptional networks essential for fungal plant infection
Andy Johnston (UEA) The remarkable diversity of the genes, the pathways and the microbes that make the smell of the seas
Tony Maxwell (JIC) Simocyclinone: a "double-headed" antibiotic with a novel mode of action
Nick LeBrun (UEA) Making and breaking disulfide bonds in the cell envelope of Gram-positive bacteria
Mike Peck (IFR) Clostridium botulinum: biology of a dangerous pathogen
Martin Howard (JIC) How are low copy number plasmids segregated inbacteria?
Matt Hutchings (UEA) Ant pharming: a search for novel antifungals in an unusual niche
Jonathan Jones (SL) Using obligate pathogen effectors to investigate host resistance mechanisms

Register for this event.

JIC Runners-up in Young Microbiologist of the Year Competition
September 2009
Lucy Foulston and Jan Claesen, graduate students in Prof. Mervyn Bibb's group in Molecular Microbiology, were both recent contestants in the SGM's Young Microbiologist of the Year Competition in Edinburgh. They were chosen to present their research along with just four other finalists chosen from graduate students across the UK. Their talks on antibiotic biosynthesis were both very well received, with Lucy claiming third place in the competition.

Honorary Position for Molecular Microbiology Department Head
September 2009
Mervyn Bibb, Head of the Department of Molecular Microbiology at JIC, was recently appointed Honorary Professor at the Institute of Microbiology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He was presented with his award by Professor Li Huang, Director General of the Institute of Microbiology, in a recent visit to Beijing.

Recognition for JIC Staff Member
August 2009
Prof. Mark Buttner, a Project Leader in the Department of Molecular Microbiology, has been elected as a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology in recognition of his record of scientific achievement.
Article from Advances: Summer 2009 (PDF file)

Plant-derived natural products: synthesis, function and application
August 2009
A new textbook has been released, co-edited by Professor Anne Osbourn of the John Innes Centre, which serves as a guide to the latest advances in the field of plant-derived natural products. Published by Springer, Plant-derived natural products: synthesis, function and application includes contributions from scientists working at the JIC and the Institute of Food Research.

"This book brings together the many different facets of plant-derived natural products, providing comprehensive coverage of all key aspects of the field, from distribution and analysis through synthesis, function and application to traditional medicines, nutraceuticals and novel non-food crops," said Prof Osbourn.

Institutes provide valuable experience for students
July 2009
Schoolchildren from across Norfolk have been gaining valuable work experience at the Norwich BioScience Institutes, giving them an idea of what it is like to work in at a leading science campus. The 14 and 15 year-olds have been working in a variety of different laboratory environments, looking at things such as analysing genome sequences, extracting DNA from bacteria, and crystallising proteins.

Emma Sherwood, a post-graduate student working in Prof. Mervyn Bibb's group in the Molecular Microbiology Department at the John Innes Centre, said "I wanted to host a student because I know that I would have liked the opportunity to do work experience in a science lab when I was at school".

Sarah Tolland, assistant to Prof. Tony Maxwell, together with Dave Hart at the IFR, coordinated the work experience scheme. "We have been delighted with the positive response to the scheme. We are keen to encourage students to study science, but we understand that it can be difficult to see how what you learn in science lessons can be translated into a career." Sarah said.

New national genome centre opens in Norwich
July 2009
The Genome Analysis Centre (TGAC - http://www.tgac.bbsrc.ac.uk/), a new national genome centre, was officially opened on the Norwich Research Park on 3 July. Dr Jane Rogers, Director of TGAC, said: "The Genome Analysis Centre will give the UK a lead in the sequencing of the genomes of plants, animals and microbes. The genomic analysis of microbes will be a major focus, not only because they infect both animals and plants, but because some are already a source of drugs for the treatment of bacterial and fungal infections and therefore they have the potential to provide new, superbug beating antibiotics."

Jungle yeast
May 2009
A new species of yeast has been discovered deep in the Amazon jungle. IFR scientists Dr Steve James and Dr Ian Roberts, Curator of NCYC, and colleagues from Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador describe the novel characteristics of Candida carvajalis sp. nov.

Salmonella's sweet tooth predicts its downfall
May 2009
For the first time UK scientists, Dr Arthur Thompson from the Institute of Food Research and Dr. Gary Rowley from the University of East Anglia, have shown what the food poisoning bug Salmonella feeds on to survive as it causes infection: glucose.

Their discovery of Salmonella’s weakness for sugar could provide a new way to vaccinate against it. The discovery could also lead to vaccine strains to protect against other disease-causing bacteria, including superbugs.

Climate-indicator potential of algae species revealed
April 2009
Tiny algae organisms living in the world's oceans could be used as an important indicator of climate change, according to new findings by an international team of scientists.

The team, which included Dr Thomas Mock from the University of East Anglia, carried out the first DNA sequencing of genomes from the previously overlooked phytoplankton group Micromonas. They found that it thrives in oceans ranging from tropical to polar and in conditions that are predicted outcomes of climate change.

Original publication

Rhythmic genomics – the yeast metronome and the walk of life
April 2009
New genome sequence information from the humble baker’s yeast has revealed surprising variation in a set of genes that can be thought of as nature’s oldest clock. In a paper published in Genome Research scientists show how ribosomal RNA genes that are essential to all Earth's organisms provide insight into how genomes maintain their integrity on their evolutionary journey. Because even the slightest changes in sequence of these genes could be fatal.

Rob Davey, computational biologist at the National Collection of Yeast Cultures (NCYC), said "we can use new computer techniques to model the changes mathematically and really get to grips with what orchestrates the variation in these important cell housekeepers."

Ian Roberts, Curator of NCYC, said "Yeasts are everywhere around us in nature and industry. This extra level of detail allows us to resolve important differences between yeasts and gain maximum benefits from their use in food, drink and healthcare."

Prof. Jay Hinton moves to Trinity College Dublin
March 2009
Prof. Jay Hinton, Head of Microbiology at IFR has moved to take up a personal research chair at the Moyne Institute of Preventive Medicine, Trinity College Dublin. Professor Hinton joined IFR ten years ago from the Institute of Molecular Medicine in Oxford. At IFR his group used genomic approaches to discover how food poisoning bacteria cause disease. His focus was on bacterial food-borne pathogens such as Salmonella Typhimurium, S. Enteritidis, Shigella flexneri and enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC). In Dublin he will continue this work, with a particular focus on Salmonella.

National Science and Engineering Week at the Norwich BioScience Institutes
March 2009
March 6th sees the start of The British Science Association’s National Science and Engineering Week, and as part of this the John Innes Centre and the Institute of Food Research are hosting an interactive exhibition at The Forum in Norwich celebrating the birth of Charles Darwin and the 150th anniversary of the publication of his most famous work, On the Origin of Species. They will also be showcasing the work of their young scientists, giving the chance to hear about the latest work on topics such as antibiotics and how our gut protects us from invasion.

At the Showcase of Young Science on March 11th, students and their supervisors will describe their work to groups from Norwich schools as well as to a public audience. From the Molecular Microbiology department at the John Innes Centre, Jan Claesen, with Prof. Mervyn Bibb, is investigating cypemycin, a new, unusually modified antibiotic. By understanding how cypemycin is made they may be able to produce better derivatives, which will be crucial to countering the threat of antibiotic resistance.

Science, Art and Writing
February 2009
Science, Art and Writing (SAW) is a UK-based science education initiative that breaks down traditional barriers between science and the arts. SAW uses themes and images from science as a starting point for scientific experimentation, art and creative writing and in doing so stimulates creativity and scientific curiosity. The stunning science images and the artworks inspired by them have been collected together in ‘SAW Showcase’, published by the SAW Trust on February 28th.

In 2008 Professor Anne Osbourn led a series of projects aimed at taking research science from the Norwich Research Park-based John Innes Centre and the Institute of Food Research into Norfolk schools using SAW as a vehicle. The John Innes Centre and the Institute of Food Research are Institutes of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, who, along with the science outreach organisation Society in Science, provided funding for this set of SAW projects.

On the Origin of Subspecies
February 2009
Scientists have sequenced over seventy strains of yeast, the greatest number of genomes for any species. The analysis, to be published in Nature, enables the scientists to study genetics in much finer detail than was ever possible for Darwin. They are able to see the differences within a species and use this knowledge in understanding yeast biodiversity and exploiting it for human benefit. "We can sift through billions of DNA bases to clearly spot a wild yeast or the mosaic genome of a recent hybrid," says Dr Ian Roberts, leader of the NCYC research team and the collection’s curator.

The basic machinery of yeast is surprisingly similar to that of humans, and the project is already helping experts to develop the tools necessary for studying human genetic variation. Yeast can also be used to develop and test new drugs, such as for cancer. "This is a valuable test bed for the 1000 genomes project, in which the genomes of 1000 people are being sequenced," said Professor Ed Louis from the University of Nottingham.

ONE SYSTEM - two different relationships
January 2009
A JIC combination of biological and mathematical approaches has provided a novel explanation for the mechanisms of multi- functionality in signalling pathways.

Plants have symbiotic relationships with micro-organisms, which benefit both partners. Leguminous plants, such as peas and beans, form nodules on their roots which house rhizobia, bacteria which are able to "fix" nitrogen. However, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi are very different to rhizobia, and produce very different reactions in the plants. Although both symbiotic relationships activate and use several of the same plant genes, it is only now that a JIC team, led by Giles Oldroyd and Allan Downie, have discovered how the one system can manage two different relationships.
Article from Advances: Winter 2008/9 | Original publication

Function and redundancy of chaplin cell surface proteins
January 2009
Working in collaboration with the Department of Biology and Institute for Infectious Disease Research, McMaster University, Canada, JIC scientists in Mark Buttner's Group have been examining the chaplins, a group of proteins which help streptomycetes attach to the surface of host plants. These 'hydrophobins' are highly surface-active and are capable of dramatically reducing surface tension at the colony air-water interface.
Article from Advances: Winter 2008/9 | Original publication

Scholarship award for IFR student
December 2008
PhD student Richard Bailey from the Institute of Food Research in Norwich has received an award from the British Poultry Council for his work on understanding dysbacteriosis, a disease of growing importance in the poultry industry.

Dysbacteriosis is a poorly understood condition that causes enteritis in broiler chickens. It is thought to be due to an overgrowth of the gut microflora. Richard’s work within a group led by Dr Arjan Narbad has focussed on identifying which micro-organinsms may be responsible for the condition.

Dr Matt Hutchings and Co-Applicants gain MRC Milstein Award
December 2008
Dr Matt Hutchings, together with co-applicants Doug Yu (BIO) and Rebecca Goss (CAP), has been successful in gaining an MRC Milstein award to study novel anti-fungal compounds. The Milstein fund was set up in 2006 to support pioneering research from UK based scientists who can demonstrate highly innovative ideas and approaches to contemporary challenges in medical research. The initiative is named after César Milstein who was honoured with a Nobel Prize in 1984 for his pioneering work on the production of monoclonal antibodies.

Dr. Hutchings’ project focuses on novel anti-fungal compounds produced by actinomycete bacteria living as symbionts on Amazonian leaf-cutter ants. The ants farm fungi which they grow on harvested leaves as the sole food source for the ant colony. They mix the fungi and the bacteria and inoculate them onto the leaves where the bacteria produce antibiotics to inhibit the growth of other fungi. This allows the ants to grow pure cultures of the fungus they like to eat. These ants are therefore potential novel sources of anti-fungals which could be used in human medicine but to date none of these compounds has been isolated or identified.

Mucosal Immunology and Intestinal Microflora Symposium 2009
December 2008
On 9th June 2009, the Norwich Research Park will host a one day symposium that aims to give postgraduate students working in aspects of gut immunuity, host-pathogen interactions within the gut and the use of probiotics the chance to present their work and exchange ideas to an audience of students, postdocs and prinicipal investigators.
Keynote speakers will be Professor Dr Michiel Kleerebezem, Professor Justin Sonnenburg and Professor Thomas MacDonald.

New research identifies threat to human immune system's key defence mechanism
November 2008
A breakthrough by scientists at the University of East Anglia, led by Dr. Matt Hutchings, could pave the way for new drugs that protect the human immune system from bacterial disease. Working with colleagues at the John Innes Centre, in the lab of Prof. Ray Dixon, the researchers have made a key discovery about how infectious bacteria succeed in invading the human body - despite being under attack by Nitric Oxide.

Second summer school in applied Molecular Microbiology builds on success of the first
October 2008
The second of the series of summer schools was held at Inter-University Centre (IUC) in Dubrovnik (http://www.iuc.hr/), August 24 - September 1 2008, with the title "Microbial Secondary Metabolites: Genomes, Signals and Communities".

The schools are sponsored by the John Innes Centre and jointly co-directed by Professor Sir David Hopwood FRS and Dr. Julian E. Davies. The next summer school will be held on 21-29 August 2010 - click here for more details.

Viruses Offer Hope for New Weapon Against C. difficile Infection
September 2008
Clostridium difficile-associated disease, or CDAD forms a major part of the spectrum of serious hospital-acquired infections, and is much in the news at present. Last year there were approximately 500,000 cases in the US alone, and globally an increasing proportion of infections are by a new virulent type of C.diff that can cause death in up to 30% of patients. Although most strains of C.diff are currently sensitive to antibiotics, there are high relapse rates (up to 25%). Antibiotics have the disadvantage of damaging the normal gut bacteria, which predisposes the patient to the condition in the first place. There is therefore a pressing need for improved therapies to combat this problem.

Now a group from the Institute of Food Research, led by Prof Mike Gasson, has isolated a lysogenic (inactive) bacteriophage from C.diff and shown that its endolysin gene can be used to make an active protein that is capable of killing C.diff. The work has been submitted as a patent application by PBL, and Prof Gasson is working with PBL to develop the opportunity further.

Article from PBL News - Issue 14 - Sep 2008 (pdf file)

Reducing Food Poisoning by Clostridium
August 2008
Clostridium perfringens type A is a significant cause of food poisoning. Spores are commonly found in meat and poultry, albeit at a low concentration, and this pathogen is a particular problem when cooked foods are subject to inadequate cooling. The main concern is bulk meats cooked in large batches. A dynamic predictive model has been developed by IFR scientists József Baranyi and Mike Peck to describe the effects of temperature, pH and NaCl concentration on the growth of Clostridium perfringens type A. This new dynamic predictive model has been implemented in the IFR-developed Perfringens Predictor, a web-based application that can be accessed free of charge via www.combase.cc. These studies will contribute to a reduction in the food poisoning incidence associated with C. perfringens.
Article from Science + Innovation, issue 2:08 (pdf file)

Genetic and metabolomic analysis of important yeast strains
August 2008
The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been used for thousands of years in the fermentation of food and drink. In the last 10-20 years, there has been an upturn in the incidence of infections linked to this yeast. Dr. Ian Roberts and his staff at the National Collection of Yeast Cultures, housed at IFR, have led the first combined genetic and metabolomic analysis of a group of medically-important and non-medical Saccharomyces strains.

Immunity gene enhances production of antilisterial bacteriocin
August 2008
A paper that IFR's Prof. Mike Gasson contributed to looks at Listeria monocytogenes which is a foodborne pathogen of major concern to the food industry. Developing an antilisterial dairy starter, adjunct or biopro tective culture is an attractive route to increase safety in dairy products. Pediocin PA-1, an antilisterial bacteriocin, has been produced in naturally resistant Lactococcus lactis strains, and recent work has shown that a pediocin PA-1 immunity gene significantly increases pediocin production.

DNA Topoisomerases in Biology and Medicine
July 2008
A meeting in Norwich, co-organised by Prof. Tony Maxwell, was held so that international scientists working on new drug discovery targets for cancer and bacterial diseases could all share their latest findings.

Tapping into Thai resources
June 2008
Many of the drugs used in medicine today are derived from microbial natural products, and include antiinfectives, anti-tumour agents, immunosuppressants and cholesterol lowering agents. Thailand boasts a wealth of microbial diversity, yet many of these organisms have proven refractory to culture under laboratory conditions.
Funded by the British Council, JIC’s Mervyn Bibb and Kasetsart University’s Arinthip Thamchaipenet will now use metagenomic approaches to identify novel natural products with potential pharmaceutical application.
Article from Advances: Spring 2008 (PDF file)

Funding for superbug spin-out
June 2008
Procarta Biosystems, the company spun-out of the John Innes Centre by scientists Dr Michael McArthur and Prof. Mervyn Bibb in the Department of Molecular Microbiology in 2007 to develop a technology designed to defeat antibiotic-resistant superbugs, has received significant seed funding. The Rainbow Seed Fund and the Iceni Seedcorn Fund have provided £320,000 to allow Procarta to further develop its DNA decoy technique, which aims to restore antibiotic efficacy against resistant superbugs, such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE).

Secrets of bracing sea air
May 2008
The latest in the University of East Anglia's public science lectures explores the science behind the familiar smell of the seaside.
Presented by Prof Andy Johnston of UEA’s School of Biological Sciences, ‘Cloning the smell of the seaside – and other amazing things that bacteria do to the atmosphere’ examines the role of the gas dimethyl sulphide (DMS).

Bioscience:Biomillions - delivering impact from research
May 2008
JIC scientists, Professors Mervyn Bibb, Anthony Maxwell and Dr Jan Chojecki have contributed to Bioscience:Biomillions, an event organised by the BBSRC to demonstrate how the UK’s excellent bioscience research base is delivering substantial economic and social impact.

Nitrous oxide - no laughing matter
February 2008
Farmers, food suppliers, policy-makers, business leaders and environmentalists are joining forces to confront the threat of the 'forgotten greenhouse gas' by taking part in an influential new forum at the University of East Anglia.
Prof David Richardson, co-ordinator of the Nitrous Oxide Focus Group which was launched on February 22, is hoping the group will engage with many influential organisations including the National Farmers Union, Marks & Spencer, British Sugar, Defra, the Country Land and Business Association and Unilever.

DNA with a twist: new company Inspiralis to search for cancer drugs and antibiotics
February 2008
A new company has joined the fight against MRSA and cancer. Researchers Prof. Tony Maxwell, Alison Howells and Dr Nicolas Burton at the John Innes Centre have launched a new company, Inspiralis Ltd, based around their expertise in DNA topoisomerases – a group of enzymes that help DNA molecules to unravel and wind up properly and not to become tangled during replication.

New IFR Campylobacter website launched
January 2008
Dr. Arnoud van Vliet and members of his research group at the IFR have launched a Campylobacter group website to provide more information on the IFR's research on Campylobacter, one of the major causes of food-borne bacterial gastroenteritis in the UK. The research aims to supply knowledge and resources to aid the development of Campylobacter control measures.

Decoy makes sitting duck of superbugs
December 2007
A DNA-based therapy could slash the development time of new drugs to combat antibiotic resistant superbugs. Scientists Dr Michael McArthur and Prof. Mervyn Bibb in the Department of Molecular Microbiology at the John Innes Centre, have proven that by taking a short stretch of DNA from a bacterium and delivering it with an existing antibiotic they can switch off antibiotic resistance.

Bacteria shed light on an important group of human proteins
November 2007
A collaboration between researchers in Switzerland, the UK and France has led to the solution of the first crystal structure of a member of the Rhesus protein family and thereby shed new light on a group of proteins of great importance in human transfusion medicine. The UK group was led by Professor Mike Merrick in the Department of Molecular Microbiology at the John Innes Centre.

Excellent start to summer schools in Applied Molecular Microbiology
August 2007
The first of an annual series of summer schools was held at the Mediterranean Institute for Life Sciences in Split, Croatia, 23-30 June 2007, covering "Microbial Genomics and Secondary Metabolites".

The schools are sponsored by the John Innes Centre and jointly co-directed by Professor Sir David Hopwood FRS and Dr. Julian E. Davies. The next summer school will be held on August 24 - September 1 2008 - click here for more details.

Publication of Clostridium botulinum genome explains its toxicity
May 2007
Scientists including Professor Mike Peck from the Institute of Food Research have published the Clostridium botulinum genome in Genome Research. Their findings show that C. botulinum does not have genes to help it evade its hosts' immune systems, rather it simply kills the host and feeds off the remains before biding its time as a spore before another host presents itself. This is in contrast to other Clostridium species that do employ stealth tactics when invading their hosts. Other findings are that the C. botulinum varieties should perhaps be defined as separate species, that they can also feed of soil insects and crustaceans and that the C. botulinum’s genome holds almost no genes acquired from other species whereas C. difficile has over 10% acquired genes. These findings show how diverse the Clostridia are.