Dr Nicholas Tucker

Senior Lecturer

Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences

Personal statement

2009-Present, Lecturer in Molecular Microbiology, University of Strathclyde
2005-2009, Post-doctoral fellow, John Innes Centre, Norwich
2002-2005 PhD. Molecular microbiology, University of East Anglia
1999-2000 MSc. Human Molecular Genetics, Imperial College, London.
1996-99 BSc. (Hons.) Biochemistry, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh.

The unifying theme across my research is bacterial gene regulation. Bacteria must be able to efficiently respond to changes in their environment by altering the expression of specific genes. This is most commonly achieved at the transcriptional level by proteins that either activate or repress the activity of RNA-polymerase.

Research Areas:

1. Gene regulation and signaling by bacterial enhancer binding proteins
2. Nitric oxide sensing and metalloproteins (Rrf2 family)
3. Pseudomonas aeruginosa pathogenicity
4. E. coli and Streptomyces coelicolor nitrogen metabolism

Nitric oxide is a toxic radical gas that is produced by macrophage cells as a broad range antibiotic. Bacterial pathogens have evolved a number of systems for detoxifying nitric oxide such as flavorubredoxin and flavohemoglobin in E. coli . The expression of the genes encoding these proteins is nitric oxide dependent and is controlled by the transcriptional regulators NorR and NsrR respectively. Both proteins sense nitric oxide via metal centres that control their ability to activate or repress gene expression.

Publications

Identification and characterisation of Staphylococcus aureus on low cost screen printed carbon electrodes using impedance spectroscopy: Ward AC, Hannah AJ, Kendrick SL, Tucker NP, MacGregor G, Connolly P; Biosensors and Bioelectronics Vol 110, pp. 65-70 (2018); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bios.2018.03.048
Genomic characterisation of an international Pseudomonas aeruginosa reference panel indicates that the two major groups draw upon distinct mobile gene pools: Freschi Luca, Bertelli Claire, Jeukens Julie, Moore Matthew P, Kukavica-Ibrulj Irena, Emond-Rheault Jean-Guillaume, Hamel Jérémie, Fothergill Joanne L, Tucker Nicholas P, McClean Siobhán, Klockgether Jens, de Soyza Anthony, Brinkman Fiona SL, Levesque Roger C, Winstanley Craig; FEMS Microbiology Letters (2018); https://doi.org/10.1093/femsle/fny120
Community-led comparative genomic and phenotypic analysis of the aquaculture pathogen Pseudomonas baetica a390T sequenced by Ion semiconductor and Nanopore technologies: Beaton Ainsley, Lood Cédric, Cunningham-Oakes Edward, MacFadyen Alison, Mullins Alex J, Bestawy Walid El, Botelho João, Chevalier Sylvie, Coleman Shannon, Dalzell Chloe, Dolan Stephen K, Faccenda Alberto, Ghequire Maarten G K, Higgins Steven, Kutschera Alexander, Murray Jordan, Redway Martha, Salih Talal, da Silva Ana C, Smith Brian A, Smits Nathan, Thomson Ryan, Woodcock Stuart, Welch Martin, Cornelis Pierre, Lavigne Rob, van Noort Vera, Tucker Nicholas P; FEMS Microbiology Letters Vol 365 (2018); https://doi.org/10.1093/femsle/fny069
Genomics of antibiotic-resistance prediction in Pseudomonas aeruginosa: Jeukens Julie, Freschi Luca, Kukavica-Ibrulj Irena, Emond-Rheault Jean-Guillaume, Tucker Nicholas P, Levesque Roger C; Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences (2017); https://doi.org/10.1111/nyas.13358
Natural antibiofilm agents and the need for antibiofilm drug leads: Adnan Hazniza, Seidel Veronique, Tucker Nicholas P; EDUCATUM Journal of Science, Mathematics and Technology Vol 4, pp. 1-8 (2017)
Discovery, characterisation and in vivo activity of pyocin SD2, a protein antibiotic from Pseudomonas aeruginosa: McCaughey Laura C, Josts Inokentijs, Grinter Rhys, White Paul, Byron Olwyn, Tucker Nicholas P, Matthews Jacqueline M, Kleanthous Colin, Whitchurch Cynthia B, Walker Daniel; Biochemical Journal Vol 473, pp. 2345-2358 (2016); https://doi.org/10.1042/BCJ20160470

more publications

Professional activities

BBSRC (Biotech & Biological Sciences Research Council) (External organisation): Member; 12/2014
SULSA Symposium 2013: Member of programme committee; 9/9/2013
Pseudomonas 2013: Participant; 7/9/2013
Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes (IBIS), Université Laval, 1030 av. de la médecine, Québec, QC, Canada, G1V 0A6, julie.jeukens.1@ulaval.ca.: Visiting researcher; 5/2013
Antonie van Leeuwenhoek: International Journal of General and Molecular Microbiology (Journal): Editorial board member; 28/5/2013
Advances in Biology (Journal): Editorial board member; 28/5/2013

more professional activities

Projects

Exploiting Pseudomonas for the production of methacrylate for the plastics industry: Tucker, Nicholas (Principal Investigator) Duncan, Katherine (Co-investigator); Period 01-Oct-2018 - 30-Sep-2022
A comparative multi-omics platform for accelerated antibiotic drug discovery from ancient Polar bacteria: Duncan, Katherine (Principal Investigator) Tucker, Nicholas (Co-investigator); Period 01-Oct-2017 - 30-Sep-2018
Transcriptomics-based strain interrogation. IBioIC Ingenza studentship: Tucker, Nicholas (Principal Investigator); Period 03-Oct-2016 - 02-Oct-2020
Accelerating clinical introduction of novel antibacterial drugs: Tucker, Nicholas (Principal Investigator) Burley, Glenn (Co-investigator); Period 01-Nov-2016 - 31-Oct-2017
BBSRC Doctoral Training Grant (DTG) | Bellota-Anton, Cesar: Tucker, Nicholas (Principal Investigator); Period 01-Dec-2011 - 01-Dec-2014
Lung infection monitor for chronic disease patients: Connolly, Patricia (Principal Investigator) Tucker, Nicholas (Co-investigator); Period 01-Nov-2015 - 31-Oct-2018

more projects

Address

Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences
Hamnett Wing

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