University of Liverpool Prophage Puppet Masters (LPPM)
We are part of the Department of Clinical Infection, Microbiology & Immunology within the of Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences (IVES) in the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences.
We began working on prophage interactions with their bacterial hosts in 1998 and soon began to recognise they had much more control of their bacterial host than they were given credit for having.
Who is currently involved in the LPPM?
Dr. Heather E. Allison, Reader in Microbiology
Heather runs a group of microbiologists exploring a few different aspects of microbiology. Her interests in phages began with her studies on Shiga toxin encoding phages infecting various members of the Enterobacteriaceae. This work led her to realise, even when the prophage was essentially silent, the gene expression profiles of the bacterial host could be extensively manipulated. The current project brings many more exciting complexities and challenges to unpick due to the carriage of multiple unique and mosaic prophages mixes in the bacterial host.
In addition to running her own research group she is an active collaborator with researchers interested in examining antimicrobial surfaces. She is also invested in the active mentoring and support of research students as Deputy Director of IVES Post Graduate Research.
Email: hallison@liverpool.ac.uk
Dr. Revathy Krisnamurthi, BBSRC-funded Postdoctoral Research Associate (PDRA)
Revathy Krishnamurthi is an experimental Molecular Microbiologist. Her primary interest is to understand the basics of bacteriophage biology. Bacteriophages exist from the bathypelagic zone of the ocean to the GI tract of humans. She thinks that phages are the cause of vast prokaryotic diversity as they are the drivers of horizontal gene transfer. She has previous experience in characterising the essential genes of Escherichia coli K12 that are part of cryptic prophages. At present, she is experimenting on unravelling the role of bacteriophages in one of the significant epidemic strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the Liverpool Epidemic Strain (LESB58).
Email: Revathy.Krishnamurthi@liverpool.ac.uk
