The University of Sheffield
Department of Infection and Immunity

Dr Mark S Thomas BSc PhD

Dr Mark Thomas

Department of Infection and Immunity
L Floor
The University of Sheffield Medical School
Beech Hill Road
Sheffield
S10 2RX
United Kingdom

Tel: +44 (0)114 226 1227
Fax: +44 (0)114 226 8898
Email: m.s.thomas@sheffield.ac.uk
Secretary - Jean Lazenby
Tel: +44 (0)114 271 2237
Email: j.lazenby@sheffield.ac.uk

Biography

I obtained my PhD in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Southampton followed by a postdoctoral stint in the laboratory of Masayasu Nomura at the Institute for Enzyme Research, UW-Madison, and subsequently relocated with him to UC-Irvine. I then spent some time working with Richard Flavell's group at IPSR in Cambridge and with Robert Glass at the University of Nottingham. I joined the University of Sheffield in 1994.

Research Interests

Virulence genes and their regulation in the Gram-negative opportunistic pathogen, Burkholderia cenocepacia. Particular areas of interest include:

Mechanisms of transcription regulation in Gram-negative bacteria. Particular areas of interest include:

Teaching Interests

Currently, I teach bacterial molecular genetics, microbial pathogenicity, and microbiology to science undergraduates, medical students and Masters students.

Current Projects

Key Publications

         Identification and regulation of virulence genes in Burkholderia

  1. Lochowska, A., Iwanicka-Nowicka, R., Zielak, A., Modelewska, A., Thomas, M.S. and Hryniewicz, M.M. (2011). Regulation of sulfur assimilation pathways in Burkholderia cenocepacia: genes controlled by the SsuR transcription factor. J. Bacteriol., 193, 1843-1853.
  2. Asghar, A.H., Shastri, S., Dave, E., Wowk, I., Agnoli, K., Cook, A.M. and Thomas, M.S. (2011). The pobA gene of Burkholderia cenocepacia encodes a Group I Sfp-type phosphopantetheinyl transferase required for biosynthesis of the siderophores ornibactin and pyochelin. Microbiology, 157, 349-361.
  3. Aschtgen, M.-S., Thomas, M.S. and Cascales, E. (2010). Anchoring the type VI secretion system to the peptidoglycan: TssL, TagL, TagP...what else? Virulence, 1 (6), 1-6.
  4. Shalom, G., Shaw, J.G. and Thomas, M.S. (2007). In vivo expression technology identifies a type VI secretion system in Burkholderia pseudomallei that is induced upon invasion of macrophages. Microbiology, 153, 2689-2699.
  5. Thomas, M.S. (2007). Iron acquisition mechanisms of the Burkholderia cepacia complex. Biometals, 20, 431-452.
  6. Iwanicka-Nowicka, R., Zielak, A., Cook, A.M., Thomas, M.S. and Hryniewicz, M. (2007). Regulation of sulfur assimilation pathways in Burkholderia cenocepacia: identification of transcription factors CysB and SsuR and their role in control of target genes. J. Bacteriol., 189, 1675-1688.
  7. Agnoli, K., Lowe, C.A., Farmer, K.L., Husnain, I. and Thomas, M.S. (2006). The ornibactin biosynthesis and transport genes of Burkholderia cenocepacia are regulated by an ECF σ factor which is a part of the Fur regulon. J. Bacteriol., 3631-3644.
  8. Farmer and Thomas (2004). Isolation and characterization of Burkholderia cenocepacia mutants deficient in pyochelin production: pyochelin biosynthesis is sensitive to sulphur availability. J. Bacteriol. 186, 270-277.
  9. Subsin, B., Thomas, M.S., Katzenmeier, G., Shaw, J.G., Tungpradapkul, S. and Kunakorn, M. (2003). Role of the stationary phase sigma factor, RpoS, of Burkholderia pseudomallei in reponse to physiological stress conditions. J. Bacteriol., 185, 7008-7014.
  10. Lowe, C.A., Asghar, A.H., Shalom, G., Shaw, J.G. and Thomas, M.S. (2001). The Burkholderia cepacia fur gene: co-localisation with omlA and absence of regulation by iron. Microbiology, 147, 1303-1314.
  11. Shalom, G., Shaw, J.G. and Thomas, M.S. (2000). pGSTp: An IVET compatible promoter probe vector conferring resistance to trimethoprim. BioTechniques, 29, 954-958.

    Transcription regulation in bacteria
  12. Twist, K-A., Husnain, S.I., Franke, J.D., Jain, D., Campbell, E.A., Nickels, B.E., Thomas, M.S., Darst, S.A. and Westblade, L.F. (2011). A novel method for the production of in vivo-assembled, recombinant Escherichia coli RNA polymerase lacking the α C-terminal domain.  Protein Science, 20, 986-995.
  13. Husnain, S.I., Busby, S.J.W. and Thomas, M.S. (2009). Downregulation of the Escherichia coli guaB promoter by upstream-bound CRP. J. Bacteriol., 191, 6094-6104.
  14. Husnain, S.I. and Thomas, M.S. (2008). Downregulation of the Escherichia coli guaB promoter by FIS. Microbiol. 154, 1729-1738.
  15. Husnain, S.I. and Thomas, M.S. (2008). The UP element is necessary but not sufficient for growth rate-dependent control of the Escherichia coli guaB promoter. J. Bacteriol., 190, 2450-2457.
  16. Kedzierska, B., Szambowska, A., Lee, D.J., Herman-Antosiewicz, A., Busby, S.J.W., Wegrzyn, G. and Thomas, M.S. (2007). The C-terminal domain of the Escherichia coli RNA polymerase α subunit plays a role in the CI-dependent activation of the bacteriophage λpM promoter. Nucleic Acids Res., 35, 2311-2320.
  17. Husnain, S.I., Meng, W., Busby, S.J.W. & Thomas, M.S. (2004). Escherichia coli can tolerate insertions but not deletions in the RNA polymerase α subunit linker. Biochim. Biophys. Acta, 1678, 47-56.
  18. Kedzierska, B., Lee, D., Busby, S.J.W., Wêgrzyn, G. and Thomas, M.S. (2004). Role of the RNA polymerase α subunits in CII-dependent activation of the bacteriophage λpE promoter: identification of important residues and positioning of the α C-terminal domains. Nucleic Acids Res. 32, 834-841.
  19. Savery, N.J., Lloyd, G.S., Busby, S.J.W., Thomas, M.S., Ebright, R.H. and Gourse, R.L. (2002). Determinants in the C-terminal domain of the Escherichia coli RNA polymerase α subunit important for transcription at Class I CRP-dependent promoters. J. Bacteriol., 184, 2273-2280.
  20. Meng, W., Belyaeva, T., Savery, N.J., Busby, S., Ross, W.E., Gaal, T., Gourse, R.L. and Thomas, M.S. (2001). UP element-dependent transcription at the Escherichia coli rrnB P1 promoter: positional requirements and role of the RNA polymerase α subunit linker. Nucleic Acids Res., 29, 4166-4178.
  21. Meng, W., Savery, N.J., Busby, S.J.W. and Thomas, M.S. (2000). The E. coli RNA polymerase α subunit linker: length requirements for transcription activation at CRP-dependent promoters. EMBO J., 19, 1555-1566.