Dr Christoph Engl
Senior Lecturer in Microbiology
Deputy Head of Department (Biochemistry), Director MSc Molecular Cell Biology
School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences
Queen Mary University of London
Queen Mary University of London
Research
Bacterial Cell Biology, Adaptive Responses, RNA Processing and Repair, Cell-to-Cell Heterogeneity
Interests
Dr Engl is an elected Member of the Royal Society of Biology and an internationally recognised expert in bacterial adaption.He has dissected a range of adaptive processes in various bacteria from stimulus perception via signalling cascades to physiological output via differential gene expression. 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 causes and consequences of cell-to-cell heterogeneity. He also develops novel experimental approaches to determine phenotypic variation within bacterial populations.
Publications
Publications of specific relevance to the Centre for Molecular Cell Biology2022
Kotta-Loizou I, Giuliano MG, Jovanovic M, Schaefer J, Ye F, Zhang N, Irakleidi DA, Liu X, Zhang X, Buck M and Engl C (2022). The RNA repair proteins RtcAB regulate transcription activator RtcR via its CRISPR-associated Rossmann fold domain. iScience, Cell Press, 105425-105425. 20-10-2022
Bashir T, Brackston RD, Waite C, Kotta-Loizou I, Carey MR, Engl C, Buck M and Schumacher J (2022). Molecular Origins of Transcriptional Heterogeneity in Diazotrophic Klebsiella oxytoca. mSystems, American Society for Microbiology, e0059622-e0059622. 08-09-2022
2021
Giuliano MG and Engl C (2021). The Lifecycle of Ribosomal RNA in Bacteria. RNA Damage and Repair 27-51. 01-01-2021
2020
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 (2020). mRNA localization, reaction centre biogenesis and thylakoid membrane targeting in cyanobacteria. Nature Plants, Springer Nature vol. 6 (9), 1179-1191. 01-09-2020
Engl C, Jovanovic G, Brackston RD, Kotta-Loizou I and Buck M (2020). The route to transcription initiation determines the mode of transcriptional bursting in E. coli. Nature Communications, Nature Research (part of Springer Nature) vol. 11 15-05-2020
2019
Kotta-Loizou I, Jovanovic M, Schaefer J, Engl C, Zhang N and Buck M (2019). A CRISPR-associated Rossmann fold (CARF) domain regulates transcription of an RNA repair system in Escherichia coli. Access Microbiology, Microbiology Society vol. 1 (1A) 08-04-2019
2018
Engl C (2018). Noise in bacterial gene expression. Biochemical Society Transactions, Portland Press vol. 47 (1), 209-217. 21-12-2018
Finch EA, Caruso T and ENGL CM (2018). Effects of Paenibacillus polymyxa inoculation on below-ground nematode communities and plant growth. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, Elsevier vol. 121, 1-7. 05-03-2018
2017
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. (2017). Correction 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). Plant and Soil vol. 427 (1-2), 209-211. 02-12-2017
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. (2017). Organic phosphorus in the terrestrial environment: a perspective on the state of the art and future priorities. Plant and Soil 06-10-2017
Sihto H-M, Stephan R, Engl C, Chen J and Johler S (2017). Effect of food-related stress conditions and loss of agr and sigB on seb promoter activity in S. aureus. Food Microbiology vol. 65, 205-212. 07-03-2017
2016
Engl C, Schaefer J, Kotta-Loizou I and Buck M (2016). Cellular and molecular phenotypes depending upon the RNA repair system RtcAB of Escherichia coli. Nucleic Acids Research, gkw628-gkw628. 08-07-2016
2015
Schaefer J, Engl C, Zhang N, Lawton E and Buck M (2015). Genome wide interactions of wild-type and activator bypass forms of σ54. Nucleic Acids Research vol. 43 (15), 7280-7291. 16-06-2015
ENGL CHRISTOPH (2015). In Vitro and In Vivo Methodologies for Studying the Sigma 54-Dependent Transcription. Bacterial Transcriptional Control 28-01-2015
2014
Engl C, Waite CJ, McKenna JF, Bennett MH, Hamann T and Buck M (2014). Chp8, a Diguanylate Cyclase from Pseudomonas syringae pv. Tomato DC3000, Suppresses the Pathogen-Associated Molecular Pattern Flagellin, Increases Extracellular Polysaccharides, and Promotes Plant Immune Evasion. mBio vol. 5 (3), e01168-14-e01168-14. 20-05-2014
2013
Mehta P, Jovanovic G, Lenn T, Bruckbauer A, Engl C, Ying L and Buck M (2013). Dynamics and stoichiometry of a regulated enhancer-binding protein in live Escherichia coli cells. Nature Communications, Springer Nature vol. 4 (1) 01-01-2013
Mehta P, Jovanovic G, Lenn T, Bruckbauer A, Engl C, Buck M and Ying L (2013). Single molecule imaging of localisations, dynamics and stoichiometry of a regulated enhancer-binding protein in live Escherichia coli cells. 01-01-2013
2012
Johler S, Moser M, Engl C, Tasara T, Corti S, Chen J and Stephan R (2012). A Coagulase- and α-Glucosidase-Negative Variant of Staphylococcus aureus: a Challenge for Routine Microbiological Diagnostics. Journal of Clinical Microbiology, American Society for Microbiology vol. 50 (5), 1827-1828. 15-02-2012
2011
Engl C, Beek AT, Bekker M, de Mattos JT, Jovanovic G and Buck M (2011). Dissipation of Proton Motive Force is not Sufficient to Induce the Phage Shock Protein Response in Escherichia coli. Current Microbiology, Springer Nature vol. 62 (5), 1374-1385. 23-01-2011
2010
Huvet M, Toni T, Sheng X, Thorne T, Jovanovic G, Engl C, Buck M, Pinney JW and Stumpf MPH (2010). The Evolution of the Phage Shock Protein Response System: Interplay between Protein Function, Genomic Organization, and System Function. Molecular Biology and Evolution, Oxford University Press (OUP) vol. 28 (3), 1141-1155. 08-11-2010
Lenn T, Gkekas CN, Bernard L, Engl C, Jovanovic G, Buck M and Ying L (2010). Measuring the stoichiometry of functional PspA complexes in living bacterial cells by single molecule photobleaching. Chem. Commun., Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) vol. 47 (1), 400-402. 07-09-2010
Joly N, Engl C, Jovanovic G, Huvet M, Toni T, Sheng X, Stumpf MPH and Buck M (2010). Managing membrane stress: the phage shock protein (Psp) response, from molecular mechanisms to physiology. FEMS Microbiology Reviews, Oxford University Press (OUP) vol. 34 (5), 797-827. 01-09-2010
Jovanovic G, Engl C, Mayhew AJ, Burrows PC and Buck M (2010). Properties of the phage-shock-protein (Psp) regulatory complex that govern signal transduction and induction of the Psp response in Escherichia coli. Microbiology, Microbiology Society vol. 156 (10), 2920-2932. 01-07-2010
2009
Joly N, Burrows PC, Engl C, Jovanovic G and Buck M (2009). A Lower-Order Oligomer Form of Phage Shock Protein A (PspA) Stably Associates with the Hexameric AAA+ Transcription Activator Protein PspF for Negative Regulation. Journal of Molecular Biology, Elsevier vol. 394 (4), 764-775. 03-10-2009
Jovanovic G, Engl C and Buck M (2009). Physical, functional and conditional interactions between ArcAB and phage shock proteins upon secretin‐induced stress in Escherichia coli. Molecular Microbiology, Wiley vol. 74 (1), 16-28. 24-09-2009
Huvet M, Toni T, Tan H, Jovanovic G, Engl C, Buck M and Stumpf MPH (2009). Model-based evolutionary analysis: the natural history of phage-shock stress response. Biochemical Society Transactions, Portland Press vol. 37 (4), 762-767. 22-07-2009
Engl C, Jovanovic G, Lloyd LJ, Murray H, Spitaler M, Ying L, Errington J and Buck M (2009). In vivo localizations of membrane stress controllers PspA and PspG inEscherichia coli. Molecular Microbiology, Wiley vol. 73 (3), 382-396. 23-06-2009
Grants
Grants of specific relevance to the Centre for Molecular Cell BiologyA confocal microscope for multidisciplinary dynamic studies of complex biological systemsConrad Mullineaux, Caroline Brennan, Alexandre De Mendoza Soler, Viji Draviam Sastry, Maurice Elphick, Christoph Engl, Maria Isabel Palacios De Castro, Matteo Palma, Marina Resmini, Alexander Ruban, Peter Thorpe, Angelika Stollewerk, Jose 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)
Bacterial decision-making: Exploring molecular switches of population dynamicsChristoph Engl
£312,314 Leverhulme Trust (01-10-2021 - 07-11-2024)