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Academic

Prof Andy Johnston

Andy Johnston
Job Title Contact Location
Professor of Biology  A dot Johnston at uea dot ac dot uk
Tel: 2264/2195   		Biology 1.24 
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Career

  • 1970 BSc "Genetics", University of Edinburgh
  • 1973 PhD University of Edinburgh
  • 1973 – 1989 Research Scientist at John Innes Institute, Norwich, UK
  • 1989 – present Professor Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
     

ResearcherID 
http://www.researcherid.com/rid/D-1859-2009

Key Research Interests

I am a microbial geneticist, with interests in the ways that bacteria undertake biotransformations that relate to biogeochemical cycling and in the ways that these organisms regulate these processes in response to external factors. 

 

Current Research Projects

  • Identification of the ways in which bacteria catabolise the anti-stress molecule dimethylsulfoniopropionate that is made by many marine phytoplankton and whose breakdown by microbes represents a major step in the global sulfur cycle.
  • Analysis of metal-responsive gene regulation in Rhizobium and in marine alpha-proteobacteria.

Life in our research group

We have used genetics set to determine how microbes catabolise dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP), a hugely abundant anti-stress molecule made by marine plankton, some seaweeds and a very few land plants. These studies identified a remarkable array of totally different ways in which different lineages of microbes break down DMSP. Some of these release the gaseous by-product dimethyl sulfide (DMS) which itself is environmentally influential – it is a potent chemo-attractant for marine animals and its oxidation products are “cloud condensation nuclei” that initiate cloud formation over the oceans. The “ddd” genes that are involved in DMS production are prone to rampant horizontal gene transfer, and have been transferred, at least once, between marine bacteria and various fungi. Their regulation also has interesting and unusual features. By examining the distribution of the ddd genes in individual genomes and in metagenomic data sets, we can deduce their abundance in different microbial lineages and in different environments, with implications on the eco-physiology of this important step in the global sulfur cycle. Our field work takes us to the far north of Norfolk, where we sample the salt marshes, the beaches and the occasional fish shop for interesting bacteria and fungi.
Although transition metals such as iron and manganese are important in the nutrition of bacteria in the seas, little is known of the ways in these are acquired or the ways in which the uptake genes are regulated. In a new programme, we use genetics and genomics to address these topics. This builds on earlier studies on the iron-regulon of the Rhizobia a group of bacteria that induce nitrogen-fixing nodules on legume plants. These bacteria use two global regulators, called Irr and RirA, which are very different from the conventional Fur global regulator, which represses many genes in many other bacteria, including the model species Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli. Working in concert, Irr is a heme-binding polypeptide that represses many genes under conditions of iron shortage - in contrast, the FeS-containing regulator RirA represses a different suite of genes under conditions where iron is in short supply.
Our work is much aided by productive collaborations with colleagues in Norwich (Nick Le Brun, Charles Brearley, Tony Davy, Phil Page, Phil Poole, Arnoud van Vliet, Yohan Chan, Allan Downie and Paul Nicholson) and elsewhere (such as Chris Dupont, Krystal Rypien, Michael Steinke, Dmitry Rodionov, Steve Giovanonni, Colin Murrell and Hendrik Schaefer).


PhD Positions

Please email me to discuss PhD opportunities and projects within the School of Biological Sciences.

Postdocs & fellows

  • Dr Andrew RJ Curson
  • Dr Jonathan D Todd (part-time)
  • Mark Kirkwood (PhD Student)
  • Emily Fowler (PhD student)
  • Rob Green (PhD Student, with Arnoud van Vliet, Institute of Food Research)



Teaching Activities

  • Module organiser for Year 2 module “Microbiology” (2B28)
  • Lecturer in Year 1 Module “Fundamentals of Molecular Biology and Genetics” (1A13)
  • Lecturer in Year 2 Module “Genetics/Clinical Genetics” (2B17/19)
  • Lecturer in Year 3 Module “Microbial Cell Biology” (3C10)
  • Lecturer in Year 3 Module “Organisms and Environment” (3C45)
  • Seminar leader in Year 1 Module “Skill for Biologists” (1A4Y)
Jump to: Article | Book Section
Number of items: 46.

Article

Green, RT, Todd, JD and Johnston, AWB (2013) Manganese uptake in marine bacteria; the novel MntX transporter is widespread in Roseobacters, Vibrios, Alteromonadales and the SAR11 and SAR116 clades. The ISME Journal, 7 (3). pp. 581-591. ISSN 1751-7362

Todd, JD, Kirkwood, M, Newton-Payne, S and Johnston, AWB (2012) DddW, a third DMSP lyase in a model Roseobacter marine bacterium, Ruegeria pomeroyi DSS-3. The ISME Journal, 6 (1). pp. 223-226. ISSN 1751-7362

Lucas-Elio, P, Goodwin, L, Woyke, T, Pitluck, S, Nolan, M, Kyrpides, N, Detter, J, Copeland, A, Teshima, H, Bruce, D, Detter, C, Tapia, R, Han, S, Land, M, Ivanova, M, Mikhailova, N, Johnston, AWB and Sanchez-Amat, A (2012) Complete genome sequence of the melanogenic marine bacterium Marinomonas mediterranea type strain (MMB-1T). Standards in Genomic Sciences, 6.

Curson, ARJ, Fowler, EK, Dickens, S, Johnston, AWB and Todd, JD (2012) Multiple DMSP lyases in the γ-proteobacterium Oceanimonas doudoroffii. Biogeochemistry, 110 (1-3). pp. 109-119. ISSN 0168-2563

Lucas-Elío, P, Goodwin, L, Woyke, T, Pitluck, S, Nolan, M, Kyrpides, NC, Detter, JC, Copeland, A, Lu, M, Bruce, D, Detter, C, Tapia, R, Han, S, Land, ML, Ivanova, N, Mikhailova, N, Johnston, AWB and Sanchez-Amat, A (2012) Complete genome sequence of Marinomonas posidonica type strain (IVIA-Po-181T). Standards in Genomic Sciences, 7 (1). pp. 31-43. ISSN 1944-3277

Sun, L, Curson, ARJ, Todd, JD and Johnston, AWB (2012) Diversity of DMSP transport in marine bacteria, revealed by genetic analyses. Biogeochemistry, 110 (1-3). pp. 121-130. ISSN 0168-2563

Todd, JD, Curson, ARJ, Sullivan, MJ, Kirkwood, M and Johnston, AWB (2012) The Ruegeria pomeroyi acuI Gene Has a Role in DMSP Catabolism and Resembles yhdH of E. coli and Other Bacteria in Conferring Resistance to Acrylate. PLoS ONE, 7 (4). e35947. ISSN 1932-6203

Curson, ARJ, Todd, JD, Sullivan, MJ and Johnston, AWB (2011) Catabolism of dimethylsulphoniopropionate: microorganisms, enzymes and genes. Nature Reviews Microbiology, 9 (12). pp. 849-859. ISSN 1740-1526

White, GF, Singleton, C, Todd, JD, Cheesman, MR, Johnston, AWB and Le Brun, NE (2011) Heme binding to the second, lower-affinity site of the global iron regulator Irr from Rhizobium leguminosarum promotes oligomerization. FEBS Journal, 278 (12). pp. 2011-2021. ISSN 1742464X

Todd, JD, Curson, ARJ, Kirkwood, M, Sullivan, MJ, Green, RT and Johnston, AWB (2011) DddQ, a novel, cupin-containing, dimethylsulfoniopropionate lyase in marine roseobacters and in uncultured marine bacteria. Environmental Microbiology, 13 (2). pp. 427-438. ISSN 14622912

Sullivan, MJ, Curson, ARJ, Shearer, N, Todd, JD, Green, RT and Johnston, AWB (2011) Unusual Regulation of a Leaderless Operon Involved in the Catabolism of Dimethylsulfoniopropionate in Rhodobacter sphaeroides. PLoS One, 6 (1). e15972. ISSN 1932-6203

Curson, ARJ, Sullivan, MJ, Todd, JD and Johnston, AWB (2011) DddY, a periplasmic dimethylsulfoniopropionate lyase found in taxonomically diverse species of Proteobacteria. The ISME Journal, 5 (7). pp. 1191-1200. ISSN 1751-7362

White, GF, Singleton, C, Todd, JD, Cheesman, MR, Johnston, AWB and Le Brun, NE (2011) Heme-binding to the second, lower affinity site of the global iron regulator Irr from Rhizobium leguminosarum promotes oligomerization. FEBS Journal, 278. pp. 2011-2021.

Singleton, C, White, G, Todd, JD, Marritt, S, Cheesman, M, Johnston, A and Le Brun, N (2010) Heme-responsive DNA binding by the global iron regulator Irr from Rhizobium leguminosarum. The Journal of Biological Chemistry, 285 (21). pp. 16023-16031.

Kirkwood, M, Le Brun, N, Todd, JD and Johnston, AWB (2010) The dddP gene of Roseovarius nubinhibens encodes a novel lyase that cleaves dimethylsulfoniopropionate into acrylate plus dimethyl sulfide. Microbiology, 156 (6). pp. 1900-1906. ISSN 1350-0872

Kirkwood, M, Le Brun, NE, Todd, JD and Johnston, AWB (2010) The ddP gene of Roseovarius nubinhibens encodes a novel lyase that cleaves dimethylsulfoniopropionate into acrylate plus dimethyl sulfide. Microbiology, 156. pp. 1900-1906.

Todd, J, Curson, A, Nikolaidou-Katsaraidou, N, Brearley, C, Watmough, N, Chan, Y, Bulman Page, P, Sun, L and Johnston, AWB (2010) Molecular dissection of bacterial acrylate catabolism - unexpected links with dimethylsulfoniopropionate catabolism and dimethyl sulfide production. Environmental Microbiology, 12 (2). pp. 327-343.

Todd, JD, Curson, AR, Dupont, CL, Nicholson, P and Johnston, AWB (2009) The dddP gene, encoding a novel enzyme that converts dimethylsulfoniopropionate into dimethyl sulfide, is widespread in ocean metagenomes and marine bacteria and also occurs in some Ascomycete fungi. Environmental Microbiology, 11 (6). pp. 1376-1385.

Curson, ARJ, Sullivan, MJ, Todd, JD and Johnston, AWB (2009) Identification of genes for dimethyl sulfide production in bacteria in the gut of Atlantic Herring (Clupea harengus). ISME, 4 (1). pp. 144-146.

Kirkwood, M, Todd, JD, Rypien, KL and Johnston, AWB (2009) The opportunistic coral pathogen Aspergillus sydowii contains dddP and makes dimethyl sulfide from dimethylsulfoniopropionate. ISME, 4 (1). pp. 147-150.

Curson, ARJ, Rogers, R, Todd, JD, Brearley, CA and Johnston, AWB (2008) Molecular genetic analysis of a dimethylsulfoniopropionate lyase that liberates the climate-changing gas dimethylsulfide in several marine a-proteobacteria and Rhodobacter sphaeroides. Environmental Microbiology, 10 (3). pp. 757-767.

Crossman, LC, Castillo-Ramirez, S, McAnnula, C, Lozano, L, Vernikes, GS, Acosta, JL, Ghazoui, ZF, Hernandez-Gonzalez, I, Meakin, G, Walker, AW, Hynes, MF, Young, JP, Downie, JA, Romero, D, Johnston, AWB, Davila, G, Parkhill, J and Gonzalez, V (2008) A comon genomic framework for a diverse assembly of plasmids in the symbiotic nitrogen fixing bacteria. PLoS One, 3 (7). p. 2567.

Ogilvie, LA, Hirsch, PR and Johnston, AWB (2008) Bacterial diversity of the broadwalk 'classical' winter wheat experiment in relation to long-term fertilizer inputs. Microbial Ecology, 56 (3). pp. 525-537.

Johnston, AWB, Todd, JD, Curson, AR, Lei, S, Nikolaidou-Katsaridou, N, Gelfand, MS and Rodionov, DA (2007) Living without Fur: the subtlety and complexity of iron-responsive gene reulgation in the symbiotic bacterium Rhizobium and other a-proteobacteria. Biometals, 20 (3-4). pp. 1572-8773.

Todd, JD, Rogers, R, You, GL, Wexler, Margaret, Bond, PL, Sun, L, Curson, ARJ, Malin, G, Steinke, M and Johnston, Andy (2007) Structural and regulatory genes required to make the gas dimethyl sulfide in bacteria. Science, 315 (5812). pp. 666-669.

Rodionov, D.A., Gelfand, M.S., Todd, J.D., Curson, A.R.J. and Johnston, A.W.B. (2006) Computational reconstruction of iron- and manganese-responsive transcriptional networks in alpha-proteobacteria. PLoS Computational Biology, 2. pp. 1568-1585.

Todd, J.D., Sawers, G., Rodionov, D.A. and Johnston, A.W.B. (2006) The Rhizobium leguminosarum regulator IrrA affects the transcription of a wide range of genes in response to Fe availability. Molecular Genetics and Genomics, 275. pp. 564-577.

Young, J.P.W., Crossman, L.C., Johnston, A.W.B., Thomson, N.R., Ghazoui, Z.F., Hull, K.H., Wexler, M., Curson, Aa.R.J., Todd, J.D., Poole, P.S., Mauchline, T.H., East, A.K., Quail, M.A., Churcher, C., Arrowsmith, C. and Cherevach, I. (2006) The genome of Rhizobium leguminosarum has recognizable core and accessory components. Genome Biology, 7. p. 34.

Diaz-Mireles, E., Wexler, M., Todd, J.D., Bellini, D., Johnston, A.W.B. and Sawers, R.G. (2005) The manganese-responsie repressor Mur of Rhizobium leguminosarum is a member of the Fur-superfamily that recognizes and unusual operator sequence. Microbiology, 151. pp. 4071-4078.

Johnston, A.W.B., Li, Y. and Ogilvie, L. (2005) Metagenomic marine nitrogen fixation - Feast or famine? Trends in Microbiology, 13. pp. 416-420.

Li, Y., Wexler, M., Richardson, D.J., Bond, P.L. and Johnston, A.W.B. (2005) Screening a wide host-range, waste-water metagenomic library in tryptophan auxotrophs of Rhizobium leguminosarum and of Escherichia coli reveals different classes of cloned trp genes. Environmental Microbiology, 7. pp. 1927-1936.

Todd, J.D., Sawers, G. and Johnston, A.W.B. (2005) Proteomic analysis reveals the wide-ranging effects of the novel, iron-responsive regulator RirA in Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. Viciae. Molecular Genetics and Genomics, 273 (2). pp. 197-206. ISSN 1617-4615

Wexler, M., Bond, P.L., Richardson, D.J. and Johnston, A.W.B. (2005) A wide host-range metagenomic library from a waste water treatment plant yields a novel alcohol/aldehyde dehydrogenase that allows Rhizobium leguminosarum but not Escherichia coli to grow on ethanol. Environmental Microbioloy, 7 (12). pp. 1917-1926. ISSN 1462-2912

Diaz-Mireles, E., Wexler, M., Sawers, G., Bellini, D., Todd, J.D. and Johnston, A.W.B. (2004) The Fur-like protein Mur of Rhizobium leguminosarum is a Mn2+ responsive transcriptional regulator. Microbiology, 150. pp. 1447-1456.

Yeoman, K.H., Curson, A.R.J., Todd, J.D., Sawers, G. and Johnston, A.W.B. (2004) Evidence that the Rhizobium regulatory protein rirA binds to cis-acting iron-responsive operators (IROs) at promoters of some Fe-regulated genes. Microbiology - SGM, 150 (12). pp. 4065-4074. ISSN 1350-0872

Todd, J.D., Wexler, M., Sawers, G., Yeoman, K.H., Poole, P.S. and Johnston, A.W.B. (2003) RirA, an iron-responsive regulator in the symbiotic bacterium Rhizobium leguminosarum. Microbiology, 148. pp. 4059-4071.

Wexler, M., Todd, J.D., Kolade, O., Bellini, D., Hemmings, A.M., Sawers, G. and Johnston, A.W.B. (2003) Fur is not the global regulator of iron uptake genes in Rhizobium leguminosarum. Microbiology, 149. pp. 1357-1365.

Yeoman, K.H., Mitelheiser, S., Sawers, G. and Johnston, A.W.B. (2003) The ECF sigma factor Rpol of R-leguminosarum initiates transcription of the vbsGSO and vbsADL siderophore biosynthetic genes in vitro. FEMS Microbiology Letters, 223 (2). pp. 239-244. ISSN 0378-1119

Carter, R.A., Worsley, P.S., Sawers, G., Challis, G.L., Dilworth, M.J., Carson, K.C., Lawrence, J.A., Wexler, M., Johnston, A.W.B. and Yeoman, K.H. (2002) The vbs genes that direct synthesis of the siderophore vicibactin in Rhizobium leguminosarum: their expression in other genera requires ECF s factor Rpol. Molecular Microbiology, 44 (5). pp. 1153-1166. ISSN 0950-382X

Carter, R.A., Yeoman, K.H., Klein, A., Hosie, A.H.F., Sawers, G., Poole, P.S and Johnston, A.W.B. (2002) dpp genes of Rhizobium leguminosarum specify uptake of delta-aminolevulinic acid. Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions, 15. pp. 69-74.

Kolade, O.O., Bellini, P., Wexler, M., Johnston, A.W.B., Grossmann, J.G. and Hemmings, A.M. (2002) Structural studies of the Fur protein from Rhizobium leguminosarum. Biochemical Society Transactions, 30. pp. 771-774.

Hosie, A.H.F., Allaway, D., Jones, M.A., Walshaw, D.L., Johnston, A.W.B. and Poole, P.S. (2001) Solute-binding protein-dependent ABC transporters are responsible for solute efflux in addition to solute uptake. Molecular Microbiology, 40. pp. 1449-1459.

Johnston, A.W.B., Yeoman, K.H. and Wexler, M. (2001) Metals and the rhizobial-legume symbiosis - Uptake, utilization and signalling. Advances in Microbial Physiology, 45. pp. 113-156.

Wexler, M., Yeoman, K.H., Stevens, J.B., de Luca, N.G., Sawers, G and Johnston, A.W.B. (2001) The Rhizobium leguminosarum tonB gene is required for the uptake of siderophore and haem as sources of iron. Molecular Microbiology, 41 (4). pp. 1-17. ISSN 0950-382X

Book Section

Wexler, M, Bond, PL, Richardson, DJ and Johnston, AWB (2011) Functional screening of a wide host-range metagenomic library from a wastewater treatment plant yields a novel alcohol/aldehyde dehydrogease. In: Metagenomics and Different Habitats Handbook of Molecular Microbial Ecology. Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN 978-0-470-64719-6

Johnston, A.W.B. (2004) Mechanisms and Regulation of Iron Uptake in the Rhizobia. In: Iron Transport in Bacteria. ASM Press, pp. 469-488.

This list was generated on Fri Apr 5 08:27:25 2013 BST.

External Activities and Indicators of Esteem

  • Co-organizer Society General Microbiology Meeting on Metagenomics, April 2006.
  • Member Steering Committee European Nitrogen Fixation Conference
  • Member of NERC Peer Review College

Administrative Posts/Responsibilities

  • Module organiser for Year 2 module “Microbiology” (2B28)
  • Associate Dean Research in the Science Faculty at UEA
  • Member of the University Honorary Degrees Committee
  • Member of the University Senate Disciplinary Committe
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