Dr Christoph Engl

Christoph Engl
PhD, FHEA, MRSB

Senior Lecturer in Microbiology
Deputy Head of Biochemistry Department and Director of MSc Molecular Cell Biology

School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences
Queen Mary University of London
ORCID Scopus

Research

Molecular Cell Biology of Bacteria, Cellular Adaptation, Single-cell Biology, RNA Processing and Repair

Interests

Dr Engl is an elected Member of the Royal Society of Biology and an internationally recognised expert in the molecular cell biology of bacteria.

He has dissected the cellular adaptation of a variety of bacteria from stimulus perception via signalling cascades and differential gene expression to physiological output. He combines experimental techniques from molecular cell biology and systems biology with state-of-the-art microscopy and computational modelling to analyse bacterial physiology and behaviour down to the single-cell and single-molecule level.

Dr Engl currently focusses his research on RNA processing and repair as well as the biology of single cells including the causes and consequences of cell-to-cell heterogeneity. He also develops novel experimental approaches to determine phenotypic variation within bacterial populations.

Publications

solid heart iconPublications of specific relevance to the Centre for Evolutionary and Functional Genomics

2022

bullet iconThe RNA repair proteins RtcAB regulate transcription activator RtcR via its CRISPR-associated Rossmann fold domain.
Kotta-Loizou I, Giuliano MG, Jovanovic M, Schaefer J, Ye F, Zhang N, Irakleidi DA, Liu X, Zhang X, Buck M and Engl C
Iscience, Cell Press, 105425-105425.  
20-10-2022
bullet iconMolecular Origins of Transcriptional Heterogeneity in Diazotrophic Klebsiella oxytoca.
Bashir T, Brackston RD, Waite C, Kotta-Loizou I, Carey MR, Engl C, Buck M and Schumacher J
Msystems, American Society For Microbiology, e0059622-e0059622.  
08-09-2022

2021

bullet iconThe Lifecycle of Ribosomal RNA in Bacteria
Giuliano MG and Engl C
In Rna Damage and Repair, Springer Nature 27-51.  
01-01-2021

2020

bullet iconmRNA localization, reaction centre biogenesis and thylakoid membrane targeting in cyanobacteria
Mahbub M, Hemm L, Yang Y, Kaur R, Carmen H, Engl C, Huokko T, Riediger M, Watanabe S, Liu L-N, Wilde A, Hess WR and Mullineaux CW
Nature Plants, Springer Nature vol. 6 (9), 1179-1191.  
01-09-2020
bullet iconThe route to transcription initiation determines the mode of transcriptional bursting in E. coli
Engl C, Jovanovic G, Brackston RD, Kotta-Loizou I and Buck M
Nature Communications, Nature Research (Part of Springer Nature) vol. 11 
15-05-2020

2019

bullet iconA CRISPR-associated Rossmann fold (CARF) domain regulates transcription of an RNA repair system in Escherichia coli
Kotta-Loizou I, Jovanovic M, Schaefer J, Engl C, Zhang N and Buck M
Access Microbiology, Microbiology Society vol. 1 (1A) 
08-04-2019

2018

bullet iconNoise in bacterial gene expression
Engl C
Biochemical Society Transactions, Portland Press vol. 47 (1), 209-217.  
21-12-2018
bullet iconEffects of Paenibacillus polymyxa inoculation on below-ground nematode communities and plant growth
Finch EA, Caruso T and ENGL CM
Soil Biology and Biochemistry, Elsevier vol. 121, 1-7.  
05-03-2018

2017

bullet iconCorrection to: Organic phosphorus in the terrestrial environment: a perspective on the state of the art and future priorities (Plant and Soil, (2018), 427, 1-2, (191-208), 10.1007/s11104-017-3391-x)
George TS, Giles CD, Menezes-Blackburn D, Condron LM, Gama-Rodrigues AC, Jaisi D, Lang F, Neal AL, Stutter MI, Almeida DS, Bol R, Cabugao KG, Celi L, Cotner JB, Feng G, Goll DS, Hallama M, Krueger J, Plassard C, Rosling A, et al.
Plant and Soil vol. 427 (1-2), 209-211.  
02-12-2017
bullet iconOrganic phosphorus in the terrestrial environment: a perspective on the state of the art and future priorities
George TS, Giles CD, Menezes-Blackburn D, Condron LM, Gama-Rodrigues AC, Jaisi D, Lang F, Neal AL, Stutter MI, Almeida DS, Bol R, Cabugao KG, Celi L, Cotner JB, Feng G, Goll DS, Hallama M, Krueger J, Plassard C, Rosling A, et al.
Plant and Soil 
06-10-2017
bullet iconEffect of food-related stress conditions and loss of agr and sigB on seb promoter activity in S. aureus
Sihto H-M, Stephan R, Engl C, Chen J and Johler S
Food Microbiology vol. 65, 205-212.  
07-03-2017

2016

bullet iconCellular and molecular phenotypes depending upon the RNA repair system RtcAB of Escherichia coli
Engl C, Schaefer J, Kotta-Loizou I and Buck M
Nucleic Acids Research, gkw628-gkw628.  
08-07-2016

2015

bullet iconGenome wide interactions of wild-type and activator bypass forms of σ54
Schaefer J, Engl C, Zhang N, Lawton E and Buck M
Nucleic Acids Research vol. 43 (15), 7280-7291.  
16-06-2015
bullet iconIn Vitro and In Vivo Methodologies for Studying the Sigma 54-Dependent Transcription
ENGL CHRISTOPH
Bacterial Transcriptional Control 
28-01-2015

2014

bullet iconChp8, a Diguanylate Cyclase from Pseudomonas syringae pv. Tomato DC3000, Suppresses the Pathogen-Associated Molecular Pattern Flagellin, Increases Extracellular Polysaccharides, and Promotes Plant Immune Evasion
Engl C, Waite CJ, McKenna JF, Bennett MH, Hamann T and Buck M
Mbio vol. 5 (3), e01168-14-e01168-14.  
20-05-2014

2013

bullet iconDynamics and stoichiometry of a regulated enhancer-binding protein in live Escherichia coli cells
Mehta P, Jovanovic G, Lenn T, Bruckbauer A, Engl C, Ying L and Buck M
Nature Communications, Springer Nature vol. 4 (1) 
01-01-2013
bullet iconSingle molecule imaging of localisations, dynamics and stoichiometry of a regulated enhancer-binding protein in live Escherichia coli cells
Mehta P, Jovanovic G, Lenn T, Bruckbauer A, Engl C, Buck M and Ying L
 
01-01-2013

2012

bullet iconA Coagulase- and α-Glucosidase-Negative Variant of Staphylococcus aureus: a Challenge for Routine Microbiological Diagnostics
Johler S, Moser M, Engl C, Tasara T, Corti S, Chen J and Stephan R
Journal of Clinical Microbiology, American Society For Microbiology vol. 50 (5), 1827-1828.  
15-02-2012

2011

bullet iconDissipation of Proton Motive Force is not Sufficient to Induce the Phage Shock Protein Response in Escherichia coli
Engl C, Beek AT, Bekker M, de Mattos JT, Jovanovic G and Buck M
Current Microbiology, Springer Nature vol. 62 (5), 1374-1385.  
23-01-2011

2010

bullet iconThe Evolution of the Phage Shock Protein Response System: Interplay between Protein Function, Genomic Organization, and System Function
Huvet M, Toni T, Sheng X, Thorne T, Jovanovic G, Engl C, Buck M, Pinney JW and Stumpf MPH
Molecular Biology and Evolution, Oxford University Press (Oup) vol. 28 (3), 1141-1155.  
08-11-2010
bullet iconMeasuring the stoichiometry of functional PspA complexes in living bacterial cells by single molecule photobleaching
Lenn T, Gkekas CN, Bernard L, Engl C, Jovanovic G, Buck M and Ying L
Chem. Commun., Royal Society of Chemistry (Rsc) vol. 47 (1), 400-402.  
07-09-2010
bullet iconManaging membrane stress: the phage shock protein (Psp) response, from molecular mechanisms to physiology
Joly N, Engl C, Jovanovic G, Huvet M, Toni T, Sheng X, Stumpf MPH and Buck M
Fems Microbiology Reviews, Oxford University Press (Oup) vol. 34 (5), 797-827.  
01-09-2010
bullet iconProperties of the phage-shock-protein (Psp) regulatory complex that govern signal transduction and induction of the Psp response in Escherichia coli
Jovanovic G, Engl C, Mayhew AJ, Burrows PC and Buck M
Microbiology, Microbiology Society vol. 156 (10), 2920-2932.  
01-07-2010

2009

bullet iconA Lower-Order Oligomer Form of Phage Shock Protein A (PspA) Stably Associates with the Hexameric AAA+ Transcription Activator Protein PspF for Negative Regulation
Joly N, Burrows PC, Engl C, Jovanovic G and Buck M
Journal of Molecular Biology, Elsevier vol. 394 (4), 764-775.  
03-10-2009
bullet iconPhysical, functional and conditional interactions between ArcAB and phage shock proteins upon secretin‐induced stress in Escherichia coli
Jovanovic G, Engl C and Buck M
Molecular Microbiology, Wiley vol. 74 (1), 16-28.  
24-09-2009
bullet iconModel-based evolutionary analysis: the natural history of phage-shock stress response
Huvet M, Toni T, Tan H, Jovanovic G, Engl C, Buck M and Stumpf MPH
Biochemical Society Transactions, Portland Press vol. 37 (4), 762-767.  
22-07-2009
bullet iconIn vivo localizations of membrane stress controllers PspA and PspG inEscherichia coli
Engl C, Jovanovic G, Lloyd LJ, Murray H, Spitaler M, Ying L, Errington J and Buck M
Molecular Microbiology, Wiley vol. 73 (3), 382-396.  
23-06-2009

Grants

solid heart iconGrants of specific relevance to the Centre for Evolutionary and Functional Genomics
solid heart iconA confocal microscope for multidisciplinary dynamic studies of complex biological systems
Conrad Mullineaux, Caroline Brennan, Alexandre De Mendoza Soler, Viji Draviam Sastry, Maurice Elphick, Christoph Engl, Isabel M Palacios, Matteo Palma, Marina Resmini, Alexander Ruban, Peter Thorpe, Angelika Stollewerk, Chema Martin Duran, Paulo Baptista Ribeiro, Susana Alves Godinho, Richard Grose, Stephanie Kermorgant, Peter McCormick and Tyson Sharp
£390,834 BBSRC Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
01-08-2022 - 31-07-2023
bullet iconBacterial decision-making: Exploring molecular switches of population dynamics
Christoph Engl
£312,314 Leverhulme Trust
01-10-2021 - 07-11-2024
bullet iconRibosomes under attack – Establishing a platform for smFRET analyses of bacterial translation
Christoph Engl
£116,126 Wellcome Trust
01-12-2018 - 01-10-2022