Dr Matthew Hutchings

Job Title	Contact	Location
Senior Lecturer	M dot Hutchings at uea dot ac dot uk Tel: 2257/1282	Biology 1.21

Personal
Research
Teaching
Publications
External
Admin

Career

1991 to 1994 University of Portsmouth. BSc (Hons) Biology. First Class
1994 to 1998 University of Southampton. Ph.D
1998 to 2001 University of East Anglia. Senior Research Associate
2001 to 2005 John Innes Centre. Project Scientist
2006 to 2010 University of East Anglia. RCUK Fellow in Molecular Microbiology
2011 to date Lecturer in Molecular Microbiology

ResearcherID

http://www.researcherid.com/rid/D-1923-2009

Website

http://www.hutchingslab.net

Key Research Interests

Bacteria are incredibly successful organisms and are ubiquitous on Earth. All eukaryotic organisms form stable interactions with bacteria at some stage in their life cycle and these can be beneficial of harmful. For example, bacteria are essential for our own survival but a handful of disease-causing species also pose a grave threat to human health. A key area of research in my laboratory is aimed at understanding how bacteria form stable interactions with plants and animals. Another key area of research is to identify new antibiotics to treat bacterial and fungal diseases. The vast majority of antibiotics in clinical use are made by soil bacteria and fungi. We are exploring unusual ecological niches, such as that of the leaf-cutter ant, to identify new microbes that make novel antibiotics. Leaf-cutter ants form stable interactions with antibiotic-producing bacteria and use those antibiotics to protect their nests against infection. Finally we are interested in how bacteria make and maintain their cell envelopes. The bacterial cell envelope forms a barrier between the bacterial cell and the external environment and is a major target for antibiotics in the bacterial cell. This is because it is essential for their survival and is it is unique to bacteria, so drugs targeting the cell envelope will be harmless to humans and animals. If we can understand how bacteria make these structures on the outside of the cell then, in the longer term, we can develop new drugs that will block cell envelope biogenesis and kill the bacteria.

Current Research Projects

Translocation and biosynthesis of lipoproteins in Gram-positive bacteria
Engineering Gram-positive bacteria for biotechnology
Analysis of an essential M. tuberculosis signalling pathway in Streptomyces species
Understanding how bacteria colonise fungus growing ants to form a stable and protective symbiosis
Isolation of novel bioactive secondary metabolites (antibiotics) from ant-associated actinomycetes
Analysis of the nitric oxide sensing proteins NsrR and WhiB in Streptomyces species

Life in our research group

We are bacteriologists and we use a range of approaches to understand how bacteria survive in complex environments, most notably the soil and on other (host) organisms. This includes genome sequencing, metagenome sequencing, molecular genetics, protein purification and biochemistry, immunochemistry, microscopy and spectroscopy. We share two very well equipped laboratories in the School of Biological Sciences with Dr Gary Rowley’s research group. This makes for a vibrant, enjoyable and stimulating environment with a mix of international students and postdocs. We also have strong links and collaborations with scientists at our partner institutes on the Norwich Research Park, the John Innes Centre, the Institute of Food Research and the Genome Analysis Centre and with research groups elsewhere in the UK and in Switzerland, Germany, China and the US. Research is shared at weekly lab meetings and theme seminars and there are many opportunities to attend both national and international conferences to present data and to visit collaborating laboratories in the UK and overseas.

PhD Positions

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

Postdocs & Fellows

I welcome enquiries from motivated postdocs who are interested in applying for their own funding to come and work in my lab.

Teaching Activities

BIO-3C02

BIO-3C6Y

BIO-3C10

BIO-3C28

BIO-3C41

BIO-3C57

M105 (MSc in Biotechnology)

MED Unit 1

Jump to: Article | Book Section

Number of items: 33.

Article

Crack, JC, Green, J, Hutchings, M, Thomson, AJ and Le Brun, NE (2012) Bacterial iron-sulfur regulatory proteins as biological sensor-switches. Antioxidants & Redox Signaling. p. 120112092704008. ISSN 1523-0864

Crack, JC, Green, J, Hutchings, MI, Thomson, AJ and Le Brun, NE (2012) Bacterial Iron–Sulfur Regulatory Proteins As Biological Sensor-Switches. Antioxidants & Redox Signaling. p. 120306082911007. ISSN 1523-0864 (In Press)

Seipke, RF, Crossman, L, Drou, N, Heavens, D, Bibb, MJ, Caccamo, M and Hutchings, MI (2011) Draft Genome Sequence of Streptomyces Strain S4, a Symbiont of the Leaf-Cutting Ant Acromyrmex octospinosus. Journal of Bacteriology, 193 (16). pp. 4270-4271. ISSN 0021-9193

Barke, J, Seipke, RF, Yu, DW and Hutchings, MI (2011) A mutualistic microbiome: How do fungus-growing ants select their antibiotic-producing bacteria? Communicative and Integrative Biology.

Bellota-Anton, C, Munnoch, J, Robb, R, Adamczyk, K, Candelaresi, M, Parker, A, Dixon, R and Hutchings, MI (2011) Spectroscopic analysis of protein Fe-NO complexes. Biochemical Society Transactions, 39. pp. 1293-1298.

Seipke, RF, Barke, J, Brearley, C, Hill, L, Yu, DW, Goss, RJM and Hutchings, MI (2011) A Single Streptomyces Symbiont Makes Multiple Antifungals to Support the Fungus Farming Ant Acromyrmex octospinosus. PLoS ONE, 6 (8). e22028. ISSN 1932-6203

Seipke, RF, Barke, J, Ruiz-Gonzalez, MX, Orivel, J, Yu, DW and Hutchings, MI (2011) Fungus-gorwing Allomerus ants are associated with antibiotic-producing Actinobacteria. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek. (In Press)

Seipke, RF, Kaltenpoth, M and Hutchings, MI (2011) Streptomyces as symbionts: an emerging and widespread theme? FEMS Microbiology Reviews. n/a-n/a. ISSN 01686445 (In Press)

Widdick, DA, Hicks, MG, Thompson, BJ, Tschumi, A, Chandra, G, Sutcliffe, IC, Brülle, JK, Sander, P, Palmer, T and Hutchings, MI (2011) Dissecting the complete lipoprotein biogenesis pathway in Streptomyces scabies. Molecular Microbiology, 80. pp. 1395-1412. ISSN 0950382X

Joshi, MV, Mann, SG, Antelmann, H, Widdick, DA, Fyans, JK, Chandra, G, Hutchings, MI, Toth, I, Hecker, M, Loria, R and Palmer, T (2010) The twin arginine protein transport pathway exports multiple virulence proteins in the plant pathogen Streptomyces scabies. Molecular microbiology, 77 (1). pp. 252-271. ISSN 1365-2958

Tucker, NP, Le Brun, NE, Dixon, R and Hutchings, MI (2010) There's NO stopping NsrR, a global regulator of the bacterial NO stress response. Trends in Microbiology, 18 (4). pp. 149-156. ISSN 0966842X

Barke, J, Seipke, R, Grüschow, S, Heavens, D, Drou, N, Bibb, MJ, Goss, RJM, Yu, D and Hutchings, M (2010) A mixed community of actinomycetes produce multiple antibiotics for the fungus farming ant Acromyrmex octospinosus. BMC biology, 8 (1). p. 109. ISSN 1741-7007

Thompson, BJ, Widdick, DA, Hicks, MG, Chandra, G, Sutcliffe, IC, Palmer, T and Hutchings, MI (2010) Investigating lipoprotein biogenesis and function in the model Gram-positive bacterium Streptomyces coelicolor. Molecular microbiology, 77 (4). pp. 943-957. ISSN 1365-2958

Hutchings, MI, Palmer, T, Harrington, DJ and Sutcliffe, IC (2009) Lipoprotein biogenesis in Gram-positive bacteria: knowing when to hold 'em, knowing when to fold 'em. Trends in Microbiology, 17 (1). pp. 13-21. ISSN 0966-842X

Jordan, S., Hutchings, M.I. and Mascher, T. (2008) Cell envelope stress response in Gram-positive bacteria. FEMS Microbiology Review, 32. pp. 107-146.

Tucker, NP, Hicks, M, Clarke, T, Avondo, J, Chandra, G, Le Brun, N, Dixon, R and Hutchings, M (2008) The transcriptional repressor protein NsrR senses nitric oxide directly via a [2Fe-2S] cluster. PloS one, 3 (11). e3623. ISSN 1932-6203

Gaskell, A, Crack, J, Cheeseman, MR, Kelemen, G, Hutchings, MI and Le Brun, N (2007) RsmA, an anti-sigma factor from Streptomyces coelicolor, modulates its activity through a [2Fe-2s] cluster cofactor. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 282 (43). pp. 31812-31820. ISSN 0021-9258

Hutchings, M.I. (2007) Unusual Signal Transduction Pathways in the Actinobacteria. Advances in Applied Microbiology, 61. pp. 1-26.

Sutcliffe, I.C. and Hutchings, M.I. (2007) Putative lipoproteins identified by bioinformatic genome analysis of Leifsonia xyli spp xyli, the causative agent of sugarcane ratoon stunting disease. Molecular Plant Pathology, 8. pp. 121-128.

Hoskisson, P.A. and Hutchings, M.I. (2006) MtrAB-LpqB: a conserved threecomponent system in actinobacteria? Trends in Microbiology, 14 (10). pp. 444-449.

Hutchings, M.I., Hong, H.J. and Buttner, M.J. (2006) The vancomycin resistance VanRS two-component signal transduction system of Streptomyces coelicolor. Molecular Microbiology, 59 (3). pp. 923-935. ISSN 0950-382X

Hutchings, M.I., Hong, H.J., Leibovitz, E., Sutcliffe, I.C. and Buttner, M.J. (2006) The sigma(E) cell envelope stress response of Streptomyces coelicolor is influenced by a novel lipoprotein, CseA. Journal of Bacteriology, 188 (20). pp. 7222-7229.

Hutchings, M., Hong, H.-J., Hill, L. M. and Buttner, M. J. (2005) The role of the novel Fem protein VanK in vancomycin resistance in Streptomyces coelicolor. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 280 (13). pp. 13055-13061. ISSN 0021-9258

Hong, H-J., Hutchings, M.I., Neu, J.M., Wright, G.D., Paget, M.S.B. and Buttner, M.J. (2004) Characterisation of an inducible vancomycin resistance system in Streptomyces coelicolor reveals a novel gene (vanK) required for drug resistance. Molecular Microbiology, 52. pp. 1107-1121.

Hutchings, MI, Hoskisson, PA, Chandra, G and Buttner, MJ (2004) Sensing and responding to diverse extracellular signals? Analysis of the sensor kinases and response regulators of Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2). Microbiology, 150 (9). pp. 2795-2806.

Zhou, X, Hovell, CJ, Pawley, S, Hutchings, MI, Arthur, MJP, Iredale, JP and Benyon, RC (2004) Expression of matrix metalloproteinase-2 and -14 persists during early resolution of experimental liver fibrosis and might contribute to fibrolysis. Liver International, 24 (5). pp. 492-501. ISSN 1478-3223

Hutchings, MI, Crack, JC, Shearer, N, Thompson, BJ, Thomson, AJ and Spiro, S (2002) Transcription factor FnrP from Paracoccus denitrificans contains an iron-sulfur cluster and is activated by anoxia: Identification of essential cysteine residues. Journal of Bacteriology, 184 (2). pp. 503-508. ISSN 0021-9193

Hutchings, M.I., Mandhana, N. and Spiro, S. (2002) The NorR protein of Escherichia coli activates expression of the flavorubredoxin gene norV in response to reactive nitrogen species. Journal of Bacteriology, 184 (16). pp. 4640-4643. ISSN 0021-9193

Hutchings, MI and Drabble, WT (2000) Regulation of the divergentguaBAandxseApromoters of Escherichia coliby the cyclic AMP receptor protein. FEMS Microbiology Letters, 187 (2). pp. 115-122. ISSN 03781097

Hutchings, MI, Shearer, N, Wastell, S, van Spanning, RJM and Spiro, S (2000) Heterologous NNR-Mediated Nitric Oxide Signaling in Escherichia coli. Journal of Bacteriology, 182 (22). pp. 6434-6439. ISSN 0021-9193

Hutchings, MI and Spiro, S (2000) The nitric oxide regulated nor promoter of Paracoccus denitrificans. Microbiology, 146. pp. 2635-2641.

Book Section

Palmer, T and Hutchings, MI (2011) Protein secretion in Streptomyces. In: Streptomyces Molecular Biology and Biotechnology. Academic Press, Caister.

Hong, H-J., Hutchings, M.I. and Buttner, M.J. (2007) Vancomycin Resistance VanRS two-component systems. In: Bacterial Signal Transduction: Networks and Drug Targets. Landes Bioscience.

This list was generated on Fri Apr 5 08:27:22 2013 BST.

External Activities and Indicators of Esteem

Invited speaker at the 2012 Gordon Conference on Bacterial Cell Surfaces

Editor, Microbiology Today 2006-2009

Member of Council for the Society for General Microbiology (SGM) 2006-2009

Referee for international journals and grants

Administrative Posts/Responsibilities

Course director for the MSci Microbiology degree programme

Director of Enterprise for the School of Biological Sciences

Module organiser of BIO-3C10 Microbial Cell Biology

Member of BIO Exec