Newcastle University

Introduction

I received a BSc in Biochemistry from the University of Cambridge and a PhD in Microbiology at the University of Warwick. In 1998 I started to apply my experience to the field of Oral Microbiology as a Post-Doctoral researcher in Prof. Howard Jenkinson's group at the Bristol Dental School. I obtained a National Institutes of Health Post-Doctoral Fellowship in 2004 to work in Dr Paul Kolenbrander's lab at the National Institute for Dental and Craniofacial Research in Bethseda, MD, USA. I joined Newcastle Dental School as Lecturer in Oral Microbiology in 2007.

Roles and Responsibilities

Undergraduate research and intercalation co-ordinator, School of Dental Sciences. Member of Board of Studies and Dental Executive. I participate in administration committees for BDS (Stages 1 and 2) and MRes.

Qualifications

1994 BSc in Biochemistry (Cambridge)
1998 PhD in Microbiology (Warwick)

Previous Positions

1998-2004 Post-Doctoral researcher, Bristol Dental School
2004-2007 Post-Doctoral Fellow, NIDCR, Bethesda, MD, USA

Memberships

Society for Applied Microbiology (I am currently observing on the Main Committee of this organisation)
Society for General Microbiology

Research Interests

Molecular mechanisms of adhesion and colonisation by oral streptococci.
Bacterial biofilm formation, and the structure of biofilm matrices.
Interactions and communication between bacteria in mixed-species biofilms.
The formation of biofilms on dental materials.

Current Work

Dental caries and periodontitis (gum disease) are the leading causes of tooth loss in the Western World. Both of these diseases originate from dental plaque, a complex mixture of numerous different bacteria that accumulates on tooth surfaces between cleaning procedures. Detailed molecular studies of bacterial virulence factors require pure cultures of isolated strains, and therefore most of these studies have been conducted on bacteria in monoculture. However, it is becoming clear that bacteria adapt very rapidly to their surroundings and that they alter their make-up upon contact with other bacterial species or with a human host. My research aims to identify changes that occur when one bacterial species interacts with another or with human tissues.

I am also interested in the structure of mixed-species biofilms, and in particular the nature of the extracellular matrix that surrounds bacterial cells and protects them from antimicrobial agents. I am currently collaborating with a team that spans Marine Biotechnology, Chemistry and clinical researchers in Otolaryngology to investigate the potential of novel enzymes to disperse microbial biofilms. This work is focussed on a range of biofilms in the mouth and in the head and neck region as a whole, including biofilms that form on artificial speech valves, in the paranasal sinuses (causing chronic rhinosinusitis) and in the middle ear (causing glue ear).

Biofilm formation on artificial surfaces that are placed in the body is particularly problematic since, unlike our own tissues, the artificial surfaces do not contain protective mechanisms to limit microbial colonisation. Work in my lab is aimed towards understanding how micro-organisms interact with different surfaces such as titanium dental implants, with a view to providing more effective measures for reducing microbial contamination.

Future Research

Postgraduate Supervision

Currently (2011-12) 2 PhD students, one MRes/PhD and one MRes project.

Funding

New Lecturer Award, Society for Applied Microbiology - 'The Role of Extracellular DNA in Oral Bacterial Biofilms' (2010) £10,000

Newcastle Healthcare Charities - 'A novel anti-biofilm agent for oral healthcare' (2011) £7,000

Undergraduate Teaching

I am Director of Stage 1 of the BDS programme.

I lead the Orientation course in Stage 1 BDS, and teach on Cell Biology. I also teach on Stage 2 Oral Environment course of BDS.

I supervise undergraduate student laboratory projects from Marine Science and Technology and Biomedical Sciences courses.

• Nobbs AH, Jenkinson HF, Jakubovics NS. Stick to Your Gums: Mechanisms of Oral Microbial Adherence. Journal of Dental Research 2011, 90(11), 1271-1278.
• Teughels W, Quirynen M, Jakubovics NS. Periodontal Microbiology. In: Newman, M.G., Takei, H.H., Klokkevold, P.R., Carranza, F.A, ed. Carranza's Clinical Periodontology. St Louis, Missouri: Elsevier Saunders, 2012, pp.232-270.
• Kolenbrander PE, Palmer RJ, Periasamy S, Jakubovics NS. Oral multispecies biofilm development and the key role of cell-cell distance. Nature Reviews Microbiology 2010, 8(7), 471-480.
• Jakubovics NS. Talk of the Town: Interspecies Communication in Oral Biofilms. Molecular Oral Microbiology 2010. , 25(1), 4-14.
• Jakubovics NS, Kolenbrander PE. The road to ruin: the formation of disease-associated oral biofilms. Oral Diseases 2010, 16(8), 729-739.
• Jakubovics NS, Brittan JL, Dutton LC, Jenkinson HF. Multiple adhesin proteins on the cell surface of Streptococcus gordonii are involved in adhesion to human fibronectin. Microbiology 2009, 155, 3572-3580.
• Stoll KE, Draper WE, Kliegman JI, Golynskiy MV, Brew-Appiah RA, Phillips RK, Brown HK, Breyer WA, Jakubovics NS, Jenkinson HF, Brennan RG, Cohen SM, Glasfeld A. Characterization and structure of the manganese-responsive transcriptional regulator ScaR. Biochemistry 2009, 48, 10308-10320.
• Jakubovics NS, Valentine RA. A new direction for manganese homeostasis in bacteria: identification of a novel efflux system in Streptococcus pneumoniae. Molecular Microbiology 2009. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd., 72(1), 1-4.
• Kolenbrander PE, Jakubovics NS, Bachrach G. Oral Microbiology. In: Schaechter, M, ed. Encyclopedia of Microbiology. London: Academic Press, 2009, pp. 566-588.
• Kolenbrander PE, Jakubovics NS, Chalmers NI. Multispecies Interactions and Biofilm Community Development. In: Whitworth DE, ed. Myxobacteria: Multicellularity and Differentiation. Washington, DC: American Society for Microbiology Press, 2008, pp. 453-461.
• Jakubovics NS, Gill SR, Iobst SE, Vickerman MM, Kolenbrander PE. Regulation of gene expression in a mixed-genus community: stabilized arginine biosynthesis in Streptococcus gordonii by coaggregation with Actinomyces naeslundii. Journal of Bacteriology 2008, 190(10), 3646-3657.
• Jakubovics NS, Gill SR, Vickerman MM, Kolenbrander PE. Role of hydrogen peroxide in competition and cooperation between Streptococcus gordonii and Actinomyces naeslundii. FEMS Microbiology Ecology 2008, 66(3), 637-644.
• Thompson J, Jakubovics N, Abraham B, Hess S, Pikis A. The sim operon facilitates the transport and metabolism of sucrose isomers in Lactobacillus casei ATCC 334. Journal of Bacteriology 2008, 190(9), 3362-3373.
• Kolenbrander PE, Jakubovics NS, Chalmers NI, Bachrach G. Coaggregation and Distance-Critical Communication. In: Brogden, KA; Minion, FC; Stanton, TB; Zhang, Q; Nolan, L; Wannemuehler, MJ, ed. Virulence Mechanisms of Bacterial Pathogens. Washington, DC: American Society for Microbiology Press, 2007, pp. 89-100.
• Kolenbrander PE, Jakubovics NS, Chalmers NI, Palmer RJ. Human Oral Multispecies Biofilms: Bacterial Communities in Health and Disease. In: Kjelleberg, S; Givskov, M;, ed. The Biofilm Mode of Life: Mechanisms and Adaptations. Norwich: Horizon Scientific Press, 2007, pp. 175-193.
• Kerrigan SW, Jakubovics NS, Keane C, Maguire P, Wynne K, Jenkinson HF, Cox D. The role of Streptococcus gordonii surface proteins SspA/B and Hsa in platelet function. Infection and Immunity 2007, 75(12), 5740-5747.
• Kolenbrander PE, Palmer RJ, Rickard AH, Jakubovics NS, Chalmers NI, Diaz PI. Bacterial interactions and successions during plaque development. Periodontology 2000 2006. , 42(1), 47-79.
• Jakubovics NS, Brittan JL, Kerrigan SW, Cox D, Stromberg N, Jenkinson HF. Interactions of mitis group streptococci with sialic acid receptors. In: Sriprakash KS, ed. Streptococci - New Insights into an Old Enemy : proceedings of the XVIth Lancefield international symposium on streptococci and streptococcal diseases, held in Palm Cove, Australia, September 25-29, 2005. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 2006, pp. 275-278.
• Jakubovics NS, Kelly CG, Stromberg N, van Dolleweerd CJ, Jenkinson HF. Differential binding specificities of oral streptococcal antigen I/II family adhesins for human or bacterial ligands. Molecular Microbiology 2005,55 5 1591-1605.
• Loimaranta V, Jakubovics NS, Hytonen J, Finne J, Jenkinson HF, Stromberg N. Fluid- or Surface-Phase Human Salivary Scavenger Protein gp340 Exposes Different Bacterial Recognition Properties. Infection and Immunity 2005,73 4 2245-2252.
• Jakubovics NS, Kerrigan SW, Nobbs AH, Stromberg N, van Dolleweerd CJ, Cox DM, Kelly CG, Jenkinson HF. Functions of cell surface-anchored antigen I/II family and Hsa polypeptides in interactions of Streptococcus gordonii with host receptors. Infection and Immunity 2005,73 10 6629-6638.
• Jenkinson HF, Nobbs AH, Jakubovics NS. Adhesin-regulated biofilm communities. In: McBain, A; Allison, D; Brading, M; Rickard, A; Verran, J; Walker, J;, ed. Biofilm Communities: Order from Chaos?. Cardiff: BioLine, 2003, pp. 97-103.
• Heddle C, Nobbs AH, Jakubovics NS, Gal M, Mansell JP, Dymock D, Jenkinson HF. Host collagen signal induces antigen I/II adhesin and invasin gene expression in oral Streptococcus gordonii. Molecular Microbiology 2003, 50(2), 597-607.
• Low YL, Jakubovics NS, Flatman JC, Jenkinson HF, Smith AW. Manganese-dependent regulation of the endocarditis-associated virulence factor EfaA of Enterococcus faecalis. Journal of Medical Microbiology 2003, 52(2), 113-119.
• Jakubovics NS, Smith AW, Jenkinson HF. Oxidative stress tolerance is manganese (Mn²⁺) regulated in Streptococcus gordonii. Microbiology 2002, 148(10), 3255-3263.
• Jakubovics NS, Jenkinson HF. Out of the iron age: new insights into the critical role of manganese homeostasis in bacteria. Microbiology 2001. , 147(7), 1709-1718.
• Jakubovics NS, Smith AW, Jenkinson HF. Expression of the virulence-related Sca (Mn²⁺) permease in Streptococcus gordonii is regulated by a diphtheria toxin metallorepressor-like protein ScaR. Molecular Microbiology 2000, 38(1), 140-153.
• Jakubovics NS, Smith AW, Jenkinson HF. Manganese-dependent regulation of oral streptococcal gene expression. In: Streptococci and Streptococcal Diseases: Entering the New Millenium. 2000, Auckland, New Zealand: Wellington: Securacopy.
• Jakubovics NS, Dow CS. The succession of microorganisms on interfaces immersed in potable water. In: Wimpenny, J; Handley, P; Gilbert, P; Lappin-Scott, H; Jones, M;, ed. Biofilms: Community Interactions and Control. Cardiff: BioLine, 1997, pp. 203-213.