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society for general Microbiologywww.sgm.ac.uk Autumn Conference 2–4 September 2013 University of Sussex Abstracts SGM Autumn Conference | University of Sussex | SGM Autumn Conference | University 2–4 September 2013 society for general Microbiologywww.sgm.ac.uk Contents This Abstracts Book has all the Session Abstracts in the first section and all the Poster Abstracts in the second section. The Session abstracts are ordered by session then by the day and time of presentation. The Poster abstracts are ordered by session/category then by the poster number. The contents page below includes the list of sessions/categories and their page numbers. The index at the back of the book includes the names of all presenting authors and the abstract code. Abstract codes are as follows: Session abstracts Session code – Day code – Time e.g. SU01Mo0900 Poster abstracts Session or Category code / Number e.g. SU01/01 Prize and Hot Topic Lectures 2 Sessions SU01 Microbial modulation of cellular pathways 3 SU02 Fungal diseases, diagnostics and drug discovery (joint with BSMM) 8 SU03 Impact of bacteriophage in the environment 14 SU04 Sir Howard Dalton Young Microbiologist of the Year Competition 18 SU05 Pathogen genomics – current clinical applications 19 SU06 Regulatory phosphate-based molecules 24 SU07 Microbial survival in the host 27 Posters SU01 Microbial modulation of cellular pathways 32 SU02 Fungal diseases, diagnostics and drug discovery (joint with BSMM) 34 SU03 Impact of bacteriophage in the environment 36 SU05 Pathogen genomics – current clinical applications 40 SU06 Regulatory phosphate-based molecules 43 SU07 Microbial survival in the host 43 CMM Clinical and medical microbiology 48 ENV Environment 52 FB Fermentation and bioprocessing (industry) 53 GM General microbiology 54 SC Systems and cells 58 Index 60 Pages for your notes 62 Prize Lecture abstracts Prize and Hot Topic Lectures SU04Tu1105 – Outreach Prize Lecture A rough guide to outreach SU00Mo1210 – Fred Griffith Prize Lecture Helen Louise Brown Breaking the mould in medical mycology Institute of Food Research, Norwich Research Park, Colney, Norwich, Neil A.R. Gow UK Aberdeen Fungal Group, School of Medical Sciences, The University of Participation in outreach has become an important aspect Aberdeen, UK of research. Outreach activities allow the public to see how When Fred Griffith was carrying out his pioneering work on research works, and increase accountability and transparency. the epidemiology and pathology of bacterial pneumonia in the From the researcher’s point of view, benefits to outreach 1930’s medical mycology was almost invisible in comparison participation are: greater public understanding of research, to the well-established fields of medical bacteriology, virology improving communication skills, and speaking to different and parasitology. However, fungal infections now account audiences. collectively for more annual deaths than malaria or tuberculosis The British media are criticised for their narrow focus and and they represent a significant worldwide challenge and health sensationalism in microbiological reporting. Despite this, their burden. The sharp rise in the prevalence of life threatening reporting has led to increased public interest in microbiology. fungal infections tracks the emergence of large numbers of This interest means that there is a great potential for public AIDS infections and other immune compromised individuals, engagement, with a broad and varied audience attending events. who are often particularly vulnerable to life-threatening fungal Grants commonly specify that public engagement must infections. Recent efforts have begun to address these clinical be carried out alongside scientific research. To fulfil these needs, and have established medical mycology and fungal requirements it is important to encourage and support scientists immunology as fertile areas of basic and applied research that taking part in outreach. In order to do this we need to overcome have contributed broadly to our appreciation of host-microbe many of the traditional barriers to engagement. interactions and microbial pathogenesis. Using some vignettes In this talk I will discuss my motivation for participating in from recent research highlights and contributions from my own outreach and will discuss some of the events I have been group’s work, this lecture will attempt to demonstrate how involved with. I will also highlight how local and national networks efforts to understand and undermine fungal disease processes as well as societies are able to provide support and resources are underlining the credentials of medically important fungi such to researchers wishing to take part in a wide variety of outreach as Candida, Aspergillus and Cryptococcus species as pathogens to events. rival the best known bacterial, viral and parasitic pathogens of the modern world. SU04Tu1120 – Outreach Prize Lecture The Good, the Bad and the Algae: a public engagement event SU00Tu1210 – Hot Topic Lecture James Redfern Fungi challenge food security and plant ecosystem health: Manchester Metropolitan University, John Dalton, Chester Street, disease, die-back and distribution Manchester, UK SARAH J. GURR1,2,3, Matthew Fisher4, Dan Bebber1 Science festivals and similar events provide excellent 1University of Exeter, Exeter, UK; 2University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; opportunities for the public to engage with ‘hands-on’ 3Nornex Consortium, UK and 4Imperial College London, London, UK microbiology. However, in addition to safety concerns, many Email: [email protected] microorganisms can be difficult to visualise without appropriate Fungal diseases have been increasing in severity and scale since equipment. Algae are safe to handle, relatively large and th the mid 20 Century and now pose a serious challenge to global sufficiently different in appearance to enable viewing under food security and ecosystem health (Gurr et al., 2011, Fungal a microscope with little technical ability. As part of the 2011 Biology Reviews 25 181-188). Indeed, we have demonstrated National Science and Engineering Week a public engagement recently that the threat to plants of fungal infection has now event, ‘The Good, The Bad and The Algae’ was delivered reached a level that outstrips that posed by bacterial and viral in MMU’s microbiology laboratory. After an introduction, diseases combined (Fisher et al., 2012 Nature 484 185-194). participants identified algae in samples using a key which had This presentation will highlight some of the more notable been previously developed for use in schools. The feedback persistent fungal and oomycete plant diseases of our times. It will (free-text and verbal) was overwhelmingly positive. The activity draw attention to the emergence of new pathotypes affecting was redeveloped from a ‘workshop’ to a ‘drop-in’ event, and crop yields and to fungi and oomycetes decimating our natural presented at the national Big Bang Science Fair in partnership and managed landscapes. I shall review some of our recent work with the Society for General Microbiology. Additions included looking at the movement of pests and pathogens polewards in a LCD screen microscopes, 3D images and a modelling to scale warming world (Bebber, Ramatowski and Gurr under review) and activity. Engagement and learning were assessed numerically, at the global distributions of crop pests and pathogens (Bebber through dialogue, and through free-text feedback: information et al, under review). indicated a positive experience. Over 2,200 people interacted I shall conclude with some thoughts on the recent emergence with the activity over three days. of the ash die-back fungus and comment on the findings of the Nornex consortium with regards to the biology of infection and the search for host disease resistance. Please note: Abstracts are published as received from the authors and are not subject to editing. 2 Session abstracts Sessions Photorhabdus luminescens is an insect pathogenic bacterium that is symbiotic with entomopathogenic nematodes1. Upon invasion SU01 of insect larvae, P. luminescens is released from the nematodes Microbial modulation of cellular pathways and kills the insect through the action of large tripartite ABC-type toxin complexes (Tcs)2. Tcs are typically composed of TcA-, TcB- and TcC proteins. Functioning as ADP-ribosyltransferases, SU01Mo0900 TcC proteins were identified as the actual functional components Bacterial protein toxins targeting actin and regulatory GTPases that induce actin-clustering and cell death3. However, little is Klaus Aktories known about the translocation of TcC into the cell by the TcA Institute of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, and TcB components. Here, we show that TcA (TcdA1) forms University of Freiburg, Germany a transmembrane pore and report its structure in the prepore 4 The cytoskeleton is essential for cell morphology and motility. and pore state determined by cryo-electron microscopy . We It is crucially for epithelial barrier functions and immune cell found that the TcdA1 prepore assembles as a pentamer forming α signaling. The cytoskeleton (especially the actin cytoskeleton) is a -helical vuvuzela-shaped channel less than 1.5 nm in diameter a main target of bacterial protein toxins. Many toxins manipulate surrounded by a large outer shell. Comparisons with structures of the actin cytoskeleton by targeting GTP-binding proteins of the the TcdA1 pore inserted into a membrane and in complex with Rho family, which are master regulators of the