Dr David Ogunniyi

Biography/ Background

I have a long-standing interest in understanding the molecular mechanisms of bacterial pathogenesis, with emphasis on the characterisation of the virulence factors involved and evaluating the potential of candidate vaccine antigens.  My PhD was conducted under the joint supervision of Professor Paul Manning, Professor Ieva Kotlarski, and Associate Professor Renato Morona and entailed the functional characterisation of the SefA protein of Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis.

I commenced my postdoctoral work in Professor James Paton’s laboratory in March 1997 and began to apply the skills acquired during my studies of Salmonella pathogenesis to the molecular analysis of pneumococcal pathogenesis. Since then, I have contributed significantly to the design and execution of research projects, international research grant applications and development of new technologies.  I have successfully co-supervised 4 Honours and 3 PhD students, and I currently co-supervise 3 PhD students.  In addition to my specific area of research, I have significantly harnessed my expertise and experience to help many graduate students, colleagues and postdoctoral fellows achieve the required success in their research.

Over the years, I have developed several local and international networks of collaborations, which has helped broaden the scope of my expertise, experience, achievements, and knowledge base.

 

Qualifications

PhD, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia.

MSc, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria.

BSc [Hons] (First Class), University of Jos, Jos, Nigeria.

Awards & Achievements

Research Career Development Network (RCDN) Award (2012). School of Molecular and Biomedical Science, The University of Adelaide.

 

My papers in the pneumococcal field are highly cited h index=21 as at 18/07/12), and are comparable to those of leaders in the field.  I am first/joint first or corresponding author on 40% of these publications.  I publish regularly in First Rate Specialist Journals (Mol Microbiol, Infect Immun, and Microbiology-SGM). I also publish in First rate Non-specialist Journals, such as J Clin Invest, Cell Host & Microbe, PLoS Pathogens, Structure and FASEB J.  In 2000, I published a flagship manuscript demonstrating that immunisation of mice with a combination of virulence proteins provided significantly enhanced protection against virulent S. pneumoniae challenge over that conferred by single antigens. This article is highly cited.  I also pioneered a unique assay for measuring levels of virulence factor mRNAs in pneumococci harvested from different anatomical sites of mice at various times after infection by relative quantitative RT-PCR (published in 2002, and continues to be cited frequently by peers).  This permitted the first comparison of the relative kinetics of in vivo expression of proven pneumococcal virulence factors.  My track record also includes 6 peer-reviewed publications in other fields of Microbiology.

I receive speaking invitations to national and international conferences on average once a year, and regularly involved in national (e.g. NHMRC) and international grant and manuscript reviews. I am also a co-inventor in 3 Patents (one International-PCT/KR2003/002929).

 

Research Interests

My research interest is primarily focused on understanding the molecular mechanisms of Streptococcus pneumoniae pathogenesis. This organism, also referred to as the pneumococcus, is a formidable human pathogen, responsible for massive global morbidity and mortality. It causes a broad spectrum of diseases including pneumonia, meningitis, bacteraemia and otitis media, and accounts for more deaths worldwide than any other single pathogen. The prevalence of antibiotic-resistant pneumococci is increasing rapidly, and currently available vaccines are expensive and have major shortcomings with respect to immunogenicity and/or strain coverage.

My research objectives are focused on the characterisation of novel pneumococcal virulence proteins, elucidating their specific roles in pathogenesis, and evaluating their vaccine potential, in alignment with global efforts geared towards the development of affordable and effective pneumococcal common protein vaccines. I hypothesise that identification of differentially regulated genes during disease progression from the nasopharynx to deeper host tissues may pinpoint potential vaccine antigens or drug targets. All these studies are carried out in close collaboration with Prof James Paton, the Director of Adelaide Research Centre for Infectious Diseases.

In furtherance of the aforementioned objectives, I employ contemporary molecular biology techniques and state-of-the-art technologies, including real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR, microarray, in vivo gene expression, bioluminescent imaging, molecular cloning, targeted mutagenesis and protein expression and purification protocols. Furthermore, I use mouse challenge models and immunisation/challenge studies to gain a better understanding of pneumococcal pathogenesis and to characterise potential protein vaccine candidates.

A number of exciting Honours and PhD projects spanning these research areas are currently available. Prospective students are encouraged to make enquiries.

 

Research Funding

CIA: Meningitis Research Foundation, UK Research grant (2008-2011).

CIB: Channel 7 Research Foundation grant (2008).

CIA: Channel 7 Research Foundation grant (2012-2013).

CIB: National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia (NHMRC) Project Grant (2010-2014).

CIB: Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage Project with Gamma Vaccines (2012-2015).

 

 

Publications

Selected Publications

(*denotes joint first/corresponding author)

Brumshagen C, Maus R, Bischof A, Ueberberg B, Bohling J, Osterholzer JJ, Ogunniyi AD, Paton JC, Welte T, Maus UA. (2012). FMS-Like Tyrosine Kinase 3 Ligand Treatment of Mice Aggravates Acute Lung Injury in Response to Streptococcus pneumoniae: Role of Pneumolysin. Infect Immun. 80(12):4281-90.

Weber M, Lambeck S, Ding N, Henken S, Kohl M, Deigner HP, Enot DP, Igwe EI, Frappart L, Kiehntopf M, Claus RA, Kamradt T, Weih D, Vodovotz Y, Briles DE, Ogunniyi AD, Paton JC, Maus UA, Bauer M. (2012). Hepatic induction of cholesterol biosynthesis reflects a remote adaptive response to pneumococcal pneumonia. FASEB J. 26:2424-2436.

Plumptre CD, Ogunniyi AD, Paton JC. 2012. Poly-histidine triad proteins of pathogenic streptococci. Trends in Microbiology. 20:485-493.

Ogunniyi AD, Paton JC. (2012). Regulation of pneumococcal surface proteins and capsule. pp. 190-208. In: Vasil, M.L., and Darwin, A.J. (eds.). Regulation of Bacterial Virulence. ASM Press, Washington, DC.

*Ogunniyi AD, Mahdi LK, Trappetti C, Verhoeven N, Mermans D, Van der Hoek MB, Plumptre CD, Paton JC. (2012). Identification of Genes That Contribute to Pathogenesis of Invasive Pneumococcal Disease by in vivo Transcriptomic Analysis. Infect Immun. 80(9):3268-3278.

McAllister LJ, Ogunniyi AD, Stroeher UH, Paton JC. (2012). Contribution of a genomic accessory region encoding a putative cellobiose phosphotransferase system to virulence of Streptococcus pneumoniae. PLoS One. 7:e32385.

Mahdi LK, Wang H, Van der Hoek MB, Paton JC, *Ogunniyi AD. (2012). Identification of a novel pneumococcal vaccine antigen preferentially expressed during meningitis in mice. J Clin Invest. 122:2208-2220.

Trappetti C, *Ogunniyi AD, Oggioni MR, Paton JC. (2011). Extracellular matrix formation enhances the ability of Streptococcus pneumoniae to cause invasive disease. PLoS One. 6:e19844.

Paton JC, Ogunniyi AD. (2011). Evicting the pneumococcus from its nasopharyngeal lodgings. Cell Host Microbe. 9:89-91.

Ota MO, Oluwalana C, Howie SR, Gomez M, Ogunniyi AD, Mendy-Gomez AL, Owolabi O, Mureithi MW, Townend J, Secka O, Antonio M, Sutherland JS, Adegbola RA. (2011). Antibody and T-cell responses during acute and convalescent stages of invasive pneumococcal disease. Int J Infect Dis. 15:e282-288.

McDevitt CA, Ogunniyi AD, Valkov E, Lawrence MC, Kobe B, McEwan AG, Paton JC. (2011). A molecular mechanism for bacterial susceptibility to zinc. PLoS Pathog. 7:e1002357.

McAllister LJ, Ogunniyi AD, Stroeher UH, Leach AJ, Paton JC. (2011). Contribution of serotype and genetic background to virulence of serotype 3 and serogroup 11 pneumococcal isolates. Infect Immun. 79:4839-4849.

Lammerts van Bueren A, Ficko-Blean E, Pluvinage B, Hehemann JH, Higgins MA, Deng L, Ogunniyi AD, Stroeher UH, El Warry N, Burke RD, Czjzek M, Paton JC, Vocadlo DJ, Boraston AB. (2011). The conformation and function of a multimodular glycogen-degrading pneumococcal virulence factor. Structure. 19:640-651.

Iwajomo OH, Finn A, Moons P, Nkhata R, Sepako E, Ogunniyi AD, Williams NA, Heyderman RS. (2011). Deteriorating pneumococcal-specific B-cell memory in minimally symptomatic African children with HIV infection. J Infect Dis. 204:534-543.

Harvey RM, Stroeher UH, Ogunniyi AD, Smith-Vaughan HC, Leach AJ, Paton JC. (2011). A variable region within the genome of Streptococcus pneumoniae contributes to strain-strain variation in virulence. PLoS One. 6:e19650.

Harvey RM, Ogunniyi AD, Chen AY, Paton JC. (2011). Pneumolysin with low hemolytic activity confers an early growth advantage to Streptococcus pneumoniae in the blood. Infect Immun. 79:4122-4130.

Ogunniyi AD, Mahdi LK, Jennings MP, McEwan AG, McDevitt CA, Van der Hoek MB, Bagley CJ, Hoffmann P, Gould KA, Paton JC. (2010). Central role of manganese in regulation of stress responses, physiology, and metabolism in Streptococcus pneumoniae. J Bacteriol. 192:4489-4497.

Henken S, Bohling J, Ogunniyi AD, Paton JC, Salisbury VC, Welte T, Maus UA. (2010). Evaluation of biophotonic imaging to estimate bacterial burden in mice infected with highly virulent compared to less virulent Streptococcus pneumoniae serotypes. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 54:3155-3160.

Henken S, Bohling J, Martens-Lobenhoffer J, Paton JC, Ogunniyi AD, Briles DE, Salisbury VC, Wedekind D, Bode-Boger SM, Welsh T, Bange FC, Welte T, Maus UA. (2010). Efficacy profiles of daptomycin for treatment of invasive and noninvasive pulmonary infections with Streptococcus pneumoniae. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 54:707-717.

Ogunniyi AD, Grabowicz M, Mahdi LK, Cook J, Gordon DL, Sadlon TA, Paton JC. (2009). Pneumococcal histidine triad proteins are regulated by the Zn²⁺-dependent repressor AdcR and inhibit complement deposition through the recruitment of complement factor H. FASEB J. 23:731-738.

Ogunniyi AD, Paton JC, Kirby AC, McCullers JA, Cook J, Hyodo M, Hayakawa Y, Karaolis DK. (2008). c-di-GMP is an effective immunomodulator and vaccine adjuvant against pneumococcal infection. Vaccine. 26:4676-4685.

Mahdi LK, *Ogunniyi AD, LeMessurier KS, Paton JC. (2008). Pneumococcal virulence gene expression and host cytokine profiles during pathogenesis of invasive disease. Infect Immun. 76:646-657.

Tu le N, Jeong HY, Kwon HY, Ogunniyi AD, Paton JC, Pyo SN, Rhee DK. (2007). Modulation of adherence, invasion, and tumor necrosis factor alpha secretion during the early stages of infection by Streptococcus pneumoniae ClpL. Infect Immun. 75:2996-3005.

Steinhoff MC. (2007). Animal models for protein pneumococcal vaccine evaluation: a summary. Vaccine. 25:2465-2470.

Ogunniyi AD, LeMessurier KS, Graham RM, Watt JM, Briles DE, Stroeher UH, Paton JC. (2007). Contributions of pneumolysin, pneumococcal surface protein A (PspA), and PspC to pathogenicity of Streptococcus pneumoniae D39 in a mouse model. Infect Immun. 75:1843-1851.

Ogunniyi AD, Grabowicz M, Briles DE, Cook J, Paton JC. (2007). Development of a vaccine against invasive pneumococcal disease based on combinations of virulence proteins of Streptococcus pneumoniae. Infect Immun. 75:350-357.

LeMessurier, K.S., Ogunniyi, A.D., and Paton, J.C. (2006). Differential expression of key pneumococcal virulence genes in vivo. Microbiology. 152:305-311.

Kwon, H.Y., *Ogunniyi, A.D., Choi, M.H., Pyo, S.H., Rhee, D.K., and Paton, J.C. (2004). The ClpP protease of Streptococcus pneumoniae modulates virulence gene expression and protects against fatal pneumococcal challenge. Infect. Immun. 72:5646-5653.

McAllister, L.J., Tseng, H., Ogunniyi, A.D., Jennings, M.P., McEwan, A.G., and Paton, J.C. (2004). Molecular analysis of the psa permease complex of Streptococcus pneumoniae. Mol. Microbiol. 53:889-901.

Ogunniyi, A.D., Giammarinaro, P., and Paton, J.C. (2002). The genes encoding virulence-associated proteins and the capsule of Streptococcus pneumoniae are upregulated and differentially expressed in vivo. Microbiology 148:2045–2053.

Brown, J.S., *Ogunniyi, A.D., Woodrow, M.C., Holden, D.W., and Paton, J.C. (2001). Immunization with components of two iron uptake ABC transporters protects mice against systemic Streptococcus pneumoniae infection. Infect. Immun. 69:6702-6706. 

Ogunniyi, A.D., Woodrow, M.C., Poolman, J.T., and Paton, J.C. (2001). Protection against Streptococcus pneumoniae elicited by immunization with pneumolysin and CbpA. Infect. Immun. 69:5997-6003.

Ogunniyi, A.D., Folland, R.L., Briles, D.E., Hollingshead, S.K., and Paton, J.C. (2000). Immunization of mice with combinations of pneumococcal virulence proteins elicits enhanced protection against challenge with Streptococcus pneumoniae. Infect. Immun. 68:3028-3033.

 

Professional Associations

Member, Australian Society for Microbiology (MASM)

Community Engagement

I contributed as primary author (with one of my PhD students, Charles Plumptre as co-author) to the “cover” article of Issue 3 of e-Science magazine (http://escience.realviewdigital.com/?iid=69284#folio=1). October 2012.

I have been actively involved in conducting tours of our laboratory to distinguished guests. During a visit to the University of Adelaide by His Excellency Rear Admiral Kevin Scarce, Governor of South Australia in September 2008, I showcased how we use state-of-the-art technologies to measure expression of bacterial virulence genes in infected mice, and explained how this information is enabling us to optimise the design and composition of vaccines that we are developing to prevent disease caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae.

 

Entry last updated: Tuesday, 18 Dec 2012