Dr Stephen Kidd

Biography/ Background

1998 - PhD, The University of Queensland

1998-2002 - Postdoctoral Reseearch Fellow, The University of Birmingham (UK)

2002-2008 - Senior Research Fellow, The University of Queensland

2008-Present - Lecturer, Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Adelaide

 

Qualifications

B.App.Sci. (Biotechnology) - University of Queensland

PhD - University of Queensland

Research Interests

 

The projects undertaken in this Research Group fall within these areas:

1. Stress Response and Gene regulation in Pathogenic Bacteria

Key to bacterial survival in an environment is how pathogenic they respond to and defend against the complex environmental conditions in the host; in particular the direct response to stresses.

A focus on the response to reactive nitrogen species (RNS).

Nitric Oxide has several roles within the human host, one of these is as an antimicrobial agent. Pathogenic bacteria need mechanisms to allow them to surivive against the toxic effects of this chemical and its derivitives.

The overlap and interplay of the pathways of gene regulators.

There are known global regulators and specific regulators that respond to nitric oxide. It is also interesteing to note that this includes but sometimes also varies to the response to other RNS. Our research is focussing on the transcriptional pathways that respond directly to nitric oxide in pathogens. In particular, the pathogen Haemophilus influenzae and the transcriptional interplay between the regulatory networks identified as important in the stress response within the cell

 

2. Physiology and Stress Response.

 Metabolic pathways which function during stress

Concurrent with the direct response to a stress such as nitric oxide and the necessary detoxification, are pathways which allow for growth under continual stress. Our research aims to identify the pathways which are specialized within a number of bacteria to allow grwoth within the human host.

3.The MerR family of Bacterial Transcription Factors and thier Novel Functions in Pathogens.

Novel regulators in pathogenic bacteria

Pathogenic bacteria have evolved to exist within the conditions of the human host. These include variations and combinations of stresses. Many pathogens harbour unique transcription factors, such as novel MerR-like regulators. Our research aims to elucidate the role of these within different pathogenic bacteria. 

 

Publications

Key publications relevant to current research

Refereed journal article

 

Potter AJ, Kidd SP, McEwan AG, Paton JC. The MerR/NmlR family transcription factor of Streptococcus pneumoniae responds to carbonyl stress and modulates hydrogen peroxide production. J Bacteriol. 2010 Aug;192(15):4063-6. Epub 2010 Jun 4.

Potter AJ, Kidd SP, Edwards JL, Falsetta ML, Apicella MA, Jennings MP, McEwan AG. Thioredoxin reductase is essential for protection of Neisseria gonorrhoeae against killling by Nitric Oxide and for bacterial growth during interaction with cervical epithelial cells.  Journal of Infectious Diseases 2008 Nov 25. [Epub ahead of print]

 

Stroeher, U., Kidd, S. P., Jennings, M. P., Paton, J. C., and McEwan A. G. 2007. A pneumococcal MerR-like regulator and S-nitrosoglutathione reductase are required for systemic virulence. Journal of Infectious Diseases 196:1820-1826.

 

Kidd, S.P., Jiang, D., Jennings, M. P., and McEwan, A.G. 2007. Glutathione-dependent alcohol dehydrogenase AdhC is required for defense against nitrosative stress in Haemophilus influenzae. Infection and Immunity. 75: 4506-4513

 

Potter, A. J., Kidd, S. P., Jennings, M. P., and McEwan, A.G. 2007. Evidence for distinctive mechanisms of S-nitrosoglutathione metabolism by AdhC in two closely related species, Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Neisseria meningitidis. Infection and Immunity 75: 1534-1536

 

Wu, H., Seib, K. L., Srikhanta, Y., Kidd, S. P., Edwards, J. L., Maguire, T. L., Grimmond, S. M., Apicella, M. A., McEwan, A. G., and Jennings, M. P. 2006. PerR controls Mn-dependent resistance to oxidative stress in Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Molecular Microbiology 60: 401-416.

 

Kidd, S. P., Potter, A. J., Apicella, M. A., Jennings, M. P., and McEwan, A. G. 2005. NmlR of Neisseria gonorrhoeae: a novel redox response transcription factor from the MerR family. Molecular Microbiology 57:1676-1689.

Faculty of 1000 Biology Recommended paper.

 

Tree, J. J., Kidd, S. P., Jennings, M. P., and McEwan, A. G. 2005. Copper sensitivity of cueO mutants of Escherichia coli K-12 and the biochemical suppression of this phenotype. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications 328: 1205-1210.

 

Kidd, S.P., and Brown, N. L. 2003. ZccR - a MerR-like transcriptional regulator from Bordetella pertussis which responds to zinc, cadmium and cobalt. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications 302: 697-702.

 

Reviews

 

Seib, K. L., Wu, H. J., Kidd, S. P., Apicella, M. A., Jennings, M. P., and McEwan, A. G. 2006. Defenses against oxidative stress in Neisseria gonorrhoeae: a system tailored for a challenging environment. Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews 70:344-361. (IF: 15.500).

 

Brown, N. L., Stoyanov, J. V., Kidd, S. P., and Hobman, J. L. 2003. The MerR family of transcriptional regulators. FEMS Microbiology Reviews 27:145-163. (IF: 10.000).

 

Professional Associations

Fellow of the Australian Society for Microbiology

Entry last updated: Wednesday, 20 Apr 2011