Dr Christoph Engl
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
Queen Mary University of London
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
Publications of specific relevance to the Centre for Molecular Cell Biology2022
The 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
Molecular 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
The Lifecycle of Ribosomal RNA in BacteriaGiuliano MG and Engl C
In Rna Damage and Repair, Springer Nature 27-51.
01-01-2021
2020
mRNA localization, reaction centre biogenesis and thylakoid membrane targeting in cyanobacteriaMahbub 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
The route to transcription initiation determines the mode of transcriptional bursting in E. coliEngl 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
A CRISPR-associated Rossmann fold (CARF) domain regulates transcription of an RNA repair system in Escherichia coliKotta-Loizou I, Jovanovic M, Schaefer J, Engl C, Zhang N and Buck M
Access Microbiology, Microbiology Society vol. 1 (1A)
08-04-2019
2018
Noise in bacterial gene expressionEngl C
Biochemical Society Transactions, Portland Press vol. 47 (1), 209-217.
21-12-2018
Effects of Paenibacillus polymyxa inoculation on below-ground nematode communities and plant growthFinch EA, Caruso T and ENGL CM
Soil Biology and Biochemistry, Elsevier vol. 121, 1-7.
05-03-2018
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)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
Organic phosphorus in the terrestrial environment: a perspective on the state of the art and future prioritiesGeorge 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
Effect of food-related stress conditions and loss of agr and sigB on seb promoter activity in S. aureusSihto H-M, Stephan R, Engl C, Chen J and Johler S
Food Microbiology vol. 65, 205-212.
07-03-2017
2016
Cellular and molecular phenotypes depending upon the RNA repair system RtcAB of Escherichia coliEngl C, Schaefer J, Kotta-Loizou I and Buck M
Nucleic Acids Research, gkw628-gkw628.
08-07-2016
2015
Genome wide interactions of wild-type and activator bypass forms of σ54Schaefer J, Engl C, Zhang N, Lawton E and Buck M
Nucleic Acids Research vol. 43 (15), 7280-7291.
16-06-2015
In Vitro and In Vivo Methodologies for Studying the Sigma 54-Dependent TranscriptionENGL CHRISTOPH
Bacterial Transcriptional Control
28-01-2015
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 EvasionEngl C, Waite CJ, McKenna JF, Bennett MH, Hamann T and Buck M
Mbio vol. 5 (3), e01168-14-e01168-14.
20-05-2014
2013
Dynamics and stoichiometry of a regulated enhancer-binding protein in live Escherichia coli cellsMehta P, Jovanovic G, Lenn T, Bruckbauer A, Engl C, Ying L and Buck M
Nature Communications, Springer Nature vol. 4 (1)
01-01-2013
Single molecule imaging of localisations, dynamics and stoichiometry of a regulated enhancer-binding protein in live Escherichia coli cellsMehta P, Jovanovic G, Lenn T, Bruckbauer A, Engl C, Buck M and Ying L
EUROPEAN BIOPHYSICS JOURNAL WITH BIOPHYSICS LETTERS. vol. 42, S202-S202.
01-01-2013
2012
A Coagulase- and α-Glucosidase-Negative Variant of Staphylococcus aureus: a Challenge for Routine Microbiological DiagnosticsJohler 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
Dissipation of Proton Motive Force is not Sufficient to Induce the Phage Shock Protein Response in Escherichia coliEngl 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
The Evolution of the Phage Shock Protein Response System: Interplay between Protein Function, Genomic Organization, and System FunctionHuvet 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
Measuring the stoichiometry of functional PspA complexes in living bacterial cells by single molecule photobleachingLenn 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
Managing membrane stress: the phage shock protein (Psp) response, from molecular mechanisms to physiologyJoly 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
Properties of the phage-shock-protein (Psp) regulatory complex that govern signal transduction and induction of the Psp response in Escherichia coliJovanovic G, Engl C, Mayhew AJ, Burrows PC and Buck M
Microbiology, Microbiology Society vol. 156 (10), 2920-2932.
01-07-2010
2009
A Lower-Order Oligomer Form of Phage Shock Protein A (PspA) Stably Associates with the Hexameric AAA+ Transcription Activator Protein PspF for Negative RegulationJoly N, Burrows PC, Engl C, Jovanovic G and Buck M
Journal of Molecular Biology, Elsevier vol. 394 (4), 764-775.
03-10-2009
Physical, functional and conditional interactions between ArcAB and phage shock proteins upon secretin‐induced stress in Escherichia coliJovanovic G, Engl C and Buck M
Molecular Microbiology, Wiley vol. 74 (1), 16-28.
24-09-2009
Model-based evolutionary analysis: the natural history of phage-shock stress responseHuvet 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
In vivo localizations of membrane stress controllers PspA and PspG inEscherichia coliEngl 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
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, 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
Bacterial decision-making: Exploring molecular switches of population dynamicsChristoph Engl
£312,314 Leverhulme Trust
01-10-2021 - 07-11-2024
Ribosomes under attack – Establishing a platform for smFRET analyses of bacterial translationChristoph Engl
£116,126 Wellcome Trust
01-12-2018 - 01-10-2022