Fenton, Andrew, Dr

Dr Andrew Fenton

School of Biosciences

Lecturer in Microbial Pathogenesis

a.k.fenton@sheffield.ac.uk
+44 114 222 2832

Firth Court

Full contact details

Dr Andrew Fenton
School of Biosciences
Firth Court
Western Bank
91ֱ��
S10 2TN

Profile

I started my lab in the School of Biosciences (formerly the Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology) at the Florey Institute in December 2016. Before coming to 91ֱ��, my post-doctoral training took me to Harvard Medical School, where I discovered my love for Streptococcus pneumoniae.

This was a jointly supervised project in the labs of both Tom Bernhardt and David Rudner where I learned the deep sequencing and genetic approaches which I now apply in my lab.

Between 2010 and 2013, I worked in the Centre for Bacterial Cell Biology in Newcastle with Kenn Gerdes (now at the University of Copenhagen). Here I learned how to work on proteins in depth and drive towards understanding molecular mechanisms of biological processes.

My work focused mainly on the actin-like protein and major cell wall coordination factor MreB.

I completed a PhD in 2010 studying the predatory bacterium Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus in . Predatory bacteria are fascinating and a lot of fun; here I learned how to be a scientist and the basics of a method very dear to me: time-lapse and florescence microscopy.

Things that make me happy are science (on good days), gaming, travelling and coffee.

Career history

2016 - present: Florey Institute Research Fellow, School of Biosciences, the University of 91ֱ��, 91ֱ��, UK.
2013 – 2016: Postdoctoral Fellow, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA.
2010 – 2013: Research Associate, Centre for Bacterial Cell Biology, Newcastle University, Newcastle, UK.
2006 – 2010: PhD, Institute of Genetics, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.

Research interests

Work in my lab focuses on molecular mechanisms governing bacterial cell growth and division within the host environment. We study the ellipsoid-shaped model organism and human pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae.

Pneumonia and meningitis are leading causes of death in the world. These diseases are caused by a variety of bacteria but are commonly caused by invasive S. pneumoniae. How these bacteria grow and divide inside their hosts is fundamental to our understanding of these conditions. My lab focuses on S. pneumoniae growth and division processes. Specifically, how the process of cell wall biosynthesis is governed and coordinated to maintain the cell shape and integrity as the cells grow and divide.

As S. pneumoniae cell growth takes place exclusively within the human host, we study the cell host-cell interactions to provide context of cell growth processes. We study how S. pneumoniae cells adapt to environmental changes within hosts, resists clearance by the immune system and copes with antibiotic challenges.

We use genetic screens, biochemical assays and epifluorescence microscopy to advance our understanding of the molecular mechanisms behind these processes.

Publications

Show: Featured publications All publications

Featured publications

Journal articles

Kobras CM, Fenton AK & Sheppard SK (2021) . Genome Biology, 22(1).
Fenton AK, Manuse S, Flores-Kim J, Garcia PS, Mercy C, Grangeasse C, Bernhardt TG & Rudner DZ (2018) . Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of USA, 115(11), 2812-2817.
Fenton AK, El Mortaji L, Lau DT, Rudner DZ & Bernhardt TG (2016) . Nature Microbiology, 2.
Fenton AK, Kanna M, Woods RD, Aizawa S-I & Sockett RE (2010) . Journal of Bacteriology, 192(24), 6329-6335.
Fenton AK, Lambert C, Wagstaff PC & Sockett RE (2010) . Journal of Bacteriology, 192(5), 1299-1311.
Fenton AK & Gerdes K () . The EMBO Journal, 32(13), 1953-1965.

All publications

Journal articles

Kobras CM, Monteith W, Somerville S, Delaney JM, Khan I, Brimble C, Corrigan RM, Sheppard SK & Fenton AK (2023) . Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 120(41).
Prajsnar TK, Michno BJ, Pooranachandran N, Fenton AK, Mitchell TJ, Dockrell DH & Renshaw SA (2022) . Cellular Microbiology, 2022.
El-Tunsi A, Carter N, Yeo S-H, Priest J, Choi A, Kobras C, Ndlovu S, Proietti Silvestri I, Fenton A & Coldham I (2021) . Synthesis.
Kobras CM, Fenton AK & Sheppard SK (2021) . Genome Biology, 22(1).
Milner DS, Ray LJ, Saxon EB, Lambert C, Till R, Fenton AK & Sockett RE (2020) . Frontiers in Microbiology, 11.
Flores-Kim J, Dobihal GS, Fenton A, Runder DZ & Bernhardt TG (2019) . eLife, 8.
Manuse S, Fenton A & Grangeasse C (2018) . ��é��𳦾��Ա�/��Գ��, 34(8-9), 642-645.
Fenton AK, Manuse S, Flores-Kim J, Garcia PS, Mercy C, Grangeasse C, Bernhardt TG & Rudner DZ (2018) . Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of USA, 115(11), 2812-2817.
Fenton AK, El Mortaji L, Lau DTC, Rudner DZ & Bernhardt TG (2017) . Nature Microbiology, 2(3).
Fenton AK, El Mortaji L, Lau DT, Rudner DZ & Bernhardt TG (2016) . Nature Microbiology, 2.
Kammin T, Fenton AK & Thirlaway K (2015) . Journal of Genetic Counseling, 24(3), 522-531.
Hobley L, Lerner TR, Williams LE, Lambert C, Till R, Milner DS, Basford SM, Capeness MJ, Fenton AK, Atterbury RJ , Harris MATS et al (2012) . BMC Genomics, 13(1), 670-670.
Atterbury RJ, Hobley L, Till R, Lambert C, Capeness MJ, Lerner TR, Fenton AK, Barrow P & Sockett RE (2011) . Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 77(16), 5794-5803.
Lambert C, Fenton AK, Hobley L & Sockett RE (2011) . Journal of Bacteriology, 193(12), 3139-3141.
Butan C, Hartnell LM, Fenton AK, Bliss D, Sockett RE, Subramaniam S & Milne JLS (2011) . Journal of Bacteriology, 193(6), 1341-1350.
Fenton AK, Kanna M, Woods RD, Aizawa S-I & Sockett RE (2010) . Journal of Bacteriology, 192(24), 6329-6335.
Fenton AK, Hobley L, Butan C, Subramaniam S & Sockett RE (2010) . FEMS Microbiology Letters, 313(2), 89-95.
Fenton AK, Lambert C, Wagstaff PC & Sockett RE (2010) . Journal of Bacteriology, 192(5), 1299-1311.
Iida Y, Hobley L, Lambert C, Fenton AK, Sockett RE & Aizawa S-I (2009) . Journal of Molecular Biology, 394(5), 1011-1021.
Fenton AK & Gerdes K () . The EMBO Journal, 32(13), 1953-1965.
Marteyn BS, Karimova G, Fenton AK, Gazi AD, West N, Touqui L, Prevost M-C, Betton J-M, Poyraz O, Ladant D , Gerdes K et al () . mBio, 5(2).

Chapters

Lambert C, Hobley L, Chang C-Y, Fenton A, Capeness M & Sockett L (2008) , Advances in Microbial Physiology (pp. 313-361). Elsevier

Research group

Joining the lab

If you are interested in joining the team, please contact me at: a.k.fenton@sheffield.ac.uk

Postdoctoral fellowships

Postdocs who wish to apply for fellowships to join the team are welcome. Please contact me to discuss project ideas.

Project students and internships

Students wishing to apply for summer internships are welcome and should send me a CV and a letter describing their interests, motivations and research experience.

Teaching activities

Level 1 modules

MBB163 Microbiology