Dr Neil Williamson
| Position | Post doctoral researcher |
|---|---|
| Address | Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology University of Cambridge New Museums Site Pembroke Street Cambridge CB2 3RA, UK |
| nrw26@cam.ac.uk | |
| Research group | Cell and Organism Engineering |
| Research project title | Cell and organism engineering |
Key publications
Cubitt M. F., Hedley P. E., Williamson N. R., Morris J. A., Campbell E., Toth I. K., Salmond GP. (2013) A metabolic regulator modulates virulence and quorum sensing signal production in Pectobacterium atrosepticum. Mol Plant Microbe Interact, 26: 356-366. 2013
Chawrai S. R., Williamson N. R., Mahendiran T., Salmond G. P. C., & Finian J. Leeper (2012) Characterisation of PigC and HapC, the prodigiosin synthetases from Serratia sp. and Hahella chejuensis with potential for biocatalytic production of anticancer agents. Chemical Science, 3: 447-454.
Ramsay J. P., Williamson N. R., Spring D. R., Salmond G. P. (2011) A quorum-sensing molecule acts as a morphogen controlling gas vesicle organelle biogenesis and adaptive flotation in an enterobacterium. PNAS, 108: 14932-7. Featured as a research highlight in Nature Chemical Biology and was also cited as a “must read” paper by faculty 1000.
Wilf N. M., Williamson N. R., Ramsay J. P., Poulter S., Bandyra K. J., Salmond G. P. (2011) The RNA chaperone, Hfq, controls two luxR-type regulators and plays a key role in pathogenesis and production of antibiotics in Serratia sp. ATCC 39006. Environmental Microbiology, 10: 2649-66.
Williamson N. R., Commander P. M. B., & Salmond G. P. C. (2010) Quorum sensing-controlled Evr regulates a conserved cryptic pigment biosynthetic cluster and a novel phenomycin-like locus in the plant pathogen, Pectobacterium carotovorum. Environmental Microbiology, (7):1811-27.
Williamson N. R., Chawrai S. R., Leeper F. J., and Salmond G. P. C. (2010) Chapter 15: Prodiginines and their potential utility as proapoptotic anticancer agents. Emerging Cancer Therapy: Microbial Approaches and Biotechnological Tools, Wiley.
Evans T J., Crow M. A., Williamson N. R., Orme W., Thomson N. R., Komitopoulou E., Salmond G.P. C. (2010) Characterization of a broad-host-range flagellum-dependent phage that mediates high-efficiency generalized transduction in, and between, Serratia and Pantoea. Microbiology, 156: 240-7.
Gristwood T., Fineran P. C., Everson L., Williamson N. R., Salmond G. P. C. (2009) The PhoBR two-component system regulates antibiotic biosynthesis in Serratia in response to phosphate. BMC Microbiology. 9: 112.
Chawrai S. R., Williamson N. R., Salmond G. P. C., & Leeper F. J. (2008) Chemoenzymatic synthesis of prodigiosin analogues – exploring the substrate specificity of PigC. Chemical Communications, 16: 1862-1864.
Williamson N. R., Fineran P. C., Ogawa W., Woodley L. R. & Salmond G. P. C. (2008) Integrated regulation involving quorum sensing, a two component system, a GGDEF/EAL domain protein and a post-transcriptional regulator controls swarming and RhlA-dependent surfactant biosynthesis in Serratia. Environmental Microbiology, 10: 1202-1217 . This research was cited as a “must read” paper by Faculty 1000.
Williamson N. R., Fineran P. C., Gristwood T., Chawrai S. R., Leeper F. J., Salmond G. P. C. (2007) Anticancer and immunosuppressive properties of bacterial prodiginines. Future Microbiology 2: 605-18.
Fineran P. C., Williamson N. R., Lilley K. S. & Salmond G. P. C. (2007) Virulence and prodigiosin antibiotic biosynthesis in Serratia are regulated pleiotropically by the GGDEF/EAL domain protein, PigX. Journal of Bacteriology 189:7653-62.
Williamson N. R., Fineran P. C., Leeper F. J., & Salmond G. P. C. (2006) Biosynthesis and regulation of Bacterial prodiginines. Nature Reviews Microbiology 4: 887-899.
Coulthurst S. J., Williamson N. R., Harris A. K. P., Spring D. R. and Salmond G. P.C. (2006) Metabolic engineering of Serratia marcescens: phage-mediated inter-strain reciprocal transfer of a secondary metabolite gene cluster and a quorum sensing control locus imposes signal molecule dependence on the expression of horizontally-acquired antibiotic biosynthesis genes. Microbiology 152, 1899–1911. This paper was featured as a research highlight in Nature Reviews Microbiology and was also cited as a “recommended read” paper by faculty 1000.
Williamson N. R., Simonsen H. T., Harris A. K. P., Leeper F. J. and Salmond G. P. C. (2006) Disruption of the copper efflux pump (CopA) of Serratia marcescens ATCC 274 pleiotropically affects copper sensitivity and production of the tripyrrole secondary metabolite, prodigiosin. Journal of Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology. 33, 151–158.
Williamson N. R., Simonsen H. T., Ahmed R. A., Goldet G., Slater H., Woodley L., Leeper F. J., and Salmond G. P. C. (2005) Biosynthesis of the red antibiotic, prodigiosin, in Serratia: identification of a novel 2-methyl-3-n-amyl-pyrrole (MAP) assembly pathway, definition of the terminal condensing enzyme, and implications for undecylprodigiosin biosynthesis in Streptomyces. Molecular Microbiology. 56, 971-89 . Featured on the front cover.
Harris A. K. P., Williamson N. R., Slater H., Cox A., Abbasi S., Foulds I., Simonsen H. T., Leeper F. J. and Salmond G. P. C (2004) The Serratia gene cluster encoding biosynthesis of the red antibiotic, prodigiosin, shows species and strain dependent genome context variation. Microbiology. 150: 3547-3560. Featured on the front cover.
Metcalfe A. C., Williamson N., Krsek M., & Wellington E. M. H. (2003) Molecular Diversity within Chitinolytic Actinomycetes Determined by In Situ Analysis. Actinomycetologica. 17, 18-22.
Whitehead N. A., Byers J. T., Commander P., Corbett M. J., Coulthurst S. J., Everson L., Harris A. K., Pemberton C. L., Simpson N. J., Slater H., Smith D. S., Welch M., Williamson N. and Salmond G. P. C. (2002) The regulation of virulence in phytopathogenic Erwinia species: quorum sensing, antibiotics and ecological considerations. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek. 81, 223-31.
Krsek M., Metcalfe A., Williamson N. R. and Wellington E. M. H. (2001) Approaches to studying the molecular diversity of chitinase genes in soil. Chitin Enzymology 2001, eds, R. A. A. Muzzarelli, Atec, Italy 2001.
Williamson N. R., Brian, P. and Wellington E. M. H. (2000) Molecular detection of bacterial and streptomycete chitinases in the environment. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek. 78, 315-321.