Latest Publications

Adam Evans, Bethan Kelly, Pooja Sridhar, Alice J. Rothnie, Naomi L. Pollock, Philip M. Ireland, David I. Roper, Tim R. Dafforn

Extraction and purification of membrane proteins has for a long time represented a significant challenge. Polymer-based extraction methods, like those using styrene maleic acid co-polymers have provided a fertile approach to generate samples that include the local lipid environment surrounding the protein. However, the wide variety of different polymers now available provides a challenge to identify the optimal solution. In this study we develop and demonstrate a novel high-throughput screening approach for rapid optimization of polymer solubilization agents and chromatography resins for membrane protein purification. Using this approach, we explore whether there are standard conditions that perform well for a range of membrane protein morphologies, sources and functions. These data show that no such standard conditions exist for either polymer solubilization agent or chromatography resin and that some combinations are rarely suitable for membrane protein purifications under these conditions, such as the use of TALON resin at a pH of 7.5 or SMALP300 in the Synthetic Nanodisc Screening Kit MINI kit. Instead, the use of the screening approach developed in this work is the best route to an optimal membrane protein preparation protocol.

Protein Science, January 2026

Joshua Williams, Ioannis P Nezis, Antonia P Sagona

The rising incidence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in bacterial infections has strongly necessitated the development and deployment of alternative therapeutics. Bacteriophages (phages) are one such alternative, discovered in the early twentieth century. While a key tool in landmark molecular biology studies throughout the twentieth century, their popularity as an antimicrobial in clinical contexts was largely overshadowed by the development and use of antibiotics. The global threat of AMR has since reignited interest in utilizing phages as therapeutics. A key advantage of phages is their genetic tractability, allowing for the generation of a cornucopia of derivatives armed with numerous exogenous functions depending on the end use. A nascent yet growing interest in this field is the arming of phages for direct and selective human tissue entry to eradicate intracellular bacterial infections, where many bacterial species exert their pathogenesis. Engineering phages in such a way also opens opportunities to study the complex, multilayered cellular mechanisms behind phage–eukaryote interactions. In this review, we discuss the progress of phage genetic engineering with an emphasis on phage–eukaryote interactions and how knowledge of the underlying molecular mechanisms may serve further development of this prospective enhancement of engineered phages.

Current Opinion in Microbiology, February 2026

Matthew J Padgett , Nela Fucelova , Johannes Boltze, Timothy J England , Tuuli Hietamies , Karen Horsburgh , Terence J Quinn , Emily S Sena , Lorraine M Work, Marietta Zille, Rebecca C Trueman, Tracy D Farr

Hypoperfusion via bilateral carotid artery stenosis is the most common mouse model of vascular cognitive impairment, but the literature varies surrounding which behavioural tests are most appropriate to detect cognitive deficits in this model. We aimed to address this via a systematic review and meta-analysis. We also aimed to provide a recommendation that also considers how the tests cover the different cognitive domains. We identified 1714 publications and extracted data from 56. Interestingly, only six cognitive behavioural tests were employed across the literature with the most common being the Morris water and radial arm mazes, followed by the Y maze, novel object recognition, open field, and the Barnes maze. While all examined tests were able to detect cognitive impairments in hypoperfused mice, there was a high degree of heterogeneity across the publications, highlighting that not all research groups consistently observed cognitive deficits in the model. There was also evidence of publication bias, and occasionally some publications with extremely high effect sizes were influential. We recommend all tests, but ideally experiments should be complemented with additional approaches that examine a greater range of cognitive functions.

Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow & Metabolism, January 2026

Agnieszka Mierek-Adamska, Jose Gutierrez-Marcos, Claudia A. Blindauer

Zinc and cadmium share similar chemical properties; however, while zinc is an indispensable microelement involved in several physiological processes, cadmium is highly toxic. Cadmium toxicity results at least to some extent from replacing zinc (and other metals) from their active sites in enzymes and other proteins. This highlights why the correct population of metalloproteins with metals is crucial for proper cellular metabolism. In the face of growing demand for food, both in terms of quantity and quality, a rapid development of crop cultivars containing a higher amount of bioavailable zinc in the edible parts of plants, crucially without the simultaneous accumulation of cadmium, is imperative. Type 4 plant metallothioneins (pMT4s) are seed-specific proteins for which a potential role as a zinc specificity filter has been proposed. It was suggested that two conserved histidine residues are key for discrimination between zinc and cadmium. In this study, we analysed the metal-binding properties of Sorghum bicolor pMT4 (SbMT4) wild-type and mutant proteins with histidine/s replaced by tyrosine/s (H32Y, H40Y, and H32Y/H40Y) using mass spectrometry, elemental analysis, and NMR spectroscopy. SbMT4 is a Zn-thionein, but unexpectedly, it was also fully folded in the presence of cadmium – owing to a zinc ion remaining in the mononuclear Cys₂His₂ site in domain II. All three mutant proteins were misfolded in the presence of either zinc or cadmium, but increased Cd-to-protein stoichiometry was observed. The presence of histidines impacted SbMT4 metal selectivity when expressed in bacterial cells, but did not affect Zn/Cd accumulation in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana plants.

Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry, January 2026

Gbeminiyi J. Oyedele, Ankit Shanker, Michael J. Tildesley, Ivo Vlaev

Adherence to self-isolation was a central measure for controlling the spread of COVID-19; however, compliance varied widely. Understanding the behavioural determinants that drive adherence is critical for informing future public health intervention. This study applied the COM-B model to examine the associations between capability, opportunity, motivation, and self-isolation behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. A retrospective analysis was conducted using secondary data from the UK Office for National Statistics 2019 Opinions and Lifestyle Survey, which was not originally designed to measure COM-B constructs. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to examine the relationships between capability, opportunity, motivation, and self-isolation behaviour. Opportunity and motivation were significantly associated with self-isolation, while capability was linked to behaviour indirectly through its association with motivation, reflecting a possible pathway suggested by the structural model. Although some measurement indicators demonstrated lower reliability owing to the use of secondary data, the overall model fit was good (RMSEA = 0.049, CFI = 0.966, TLI = 0.944, SRMR = 0.040). These findings highlight the dominant influence of social and motivational factors in shaping adherence. This study demonstrates the utility of the COM-B model for understanding self-isolation behaviour despite the constraints of secondary data. The findings highlight opportunity and motivation as key levers for promoting adherence and offer actionable insights for policymakers to design interventions that enhance motivation, strengthen social support, and sustain compliance during future public health emergencies.

Scientific Reports, January 2026

Shashank K. Pandey, Tatiana S. Moraes, Aswin Nair, Bibek Aryal, Abdul Azeez, Pal Miskolczi, Guillaume Maucort, Fabrice P. Cordelières, Lysiane Brocard, Gwendolyn V. Davis, Hannah Dromiack, Swanand Khanapurkar, Sara I. Walker, George W. Bassel, Emmanuelle M. Bayer, Rishikesh P. Bhalerao

Dormancy is a key mechanism in perennial plants in boreal and temperate regions, protecting buds from winter damage by repressing precocious bud break before spring onset. How plants robustly time dormancy release under fluctuating environments remains unknown. Here, we show that, rather than simply sensing cold duration, buds leverage warm spikes to sense winter progression and time dormancy release. This timing mechanism is mediated by previously unrecognized regulation of plasmodesmata by warm spikes acting through tree ortholog of FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT1) and the gibberellic acid pathway. Our results reveal FT1 as a previously unrecognized, suppressor of callose levels and show that warm spikes repress cold induction of FT1 and GA pathway to suppress PD opening and dormancy release. Importantly, buds exhibit heterogeneity in bud break. This heterogeneity in bud break crucial for bet hedging is amplified under temperature fluctuations and is associated with the thermal responsiveness of plasmodesmata. Altogether, our work reveals dynamic plasmodesmata regulation as a crucial tissue-level mediator of variable temperature processing by buds, enabling robust adaptation of trees to seasonal changes.

Nature Communications, January 2026