Staff Profile

B.Sc Microbiology, University of Leeds

Ph.D Biochemistry, University of Birmingham

PDRA, Institute of Cell and Molecular Biosciences, Newcastle University

Royal Society URF, School of Biochemistry, University of Bristol

Senior Lecturer, Reader, then Professor of Biological Chemistry, School of Biochemistry, University of Bristol

Professor of Biotechnology, Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle

Structural enzymology, natural product biosynthesis and industrial biotechnology

My lab are interested in all aspects of microbial natural product (bio)chemistry from discovery to applications. This includes the isolation and characterisation of natural products from microbes that inhabit 'extreme' environmental niches, e.g., the depths of the ocean, along with elucidation of the structures and functions of the often elaborate multi-enzyme pathways that assemble these complex molecules in nature. We have a particular fondness for antimicrobial natural product drug discovery. We are highly interdisciplinary in our approach and the lab includes a mix of microbiologists, chemists, biochemists, bioinformaticians and structural biologists. Our work benefits from significant national, international and industrial collaboration. We also have more than a passing interest in microbial virulence, in particular cell surface proteins from streptococci and the development of polymeric (bio)materials.

Complete list of publications here

Funding

BBSRC, EPSRC, MRC, InnovateUK, MRF, DSTL, Wellcome Trust, CONACyT, Royal Society and Industry.

Examples of some other things that keep me busy...

Director of Molecular Life Sciences (2023-present); Committee Member (2013-present), elected Treasurer (2016-2023), Chairman (2023-present) and Felix Franks Medal committee member (2019-present), RSC Biotechnology Group; Pool (2020-2023) then Core member (2023-present), BBSRC Committee D; Member, EPSRC Peer Review College (2016-present); Panel member (Biochemistry) The Italian Ministry of Education Universities and Research (2018-present); External examiner, B.Sc Biochemistry, B.Sc Biochemistry with Year in Industry and M.Sci Biochemistry, University of Warwick, UK (2021-present); Editor, Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology (2016-present); Advisor to the UK Prime Minister’s Council for Science and Technology, National Engineering Biology Project (2022-2023); Cofounder (2017), non-Executive Director (2017-2023) and Scientific Advisor, (2017-present) Zentraxa Ltd; drinking craft beer and running ultramarathons (though not at the same time); etc.

Contributions to:

NES1303 

NES1504

NES3309

NES8002

• Articles

  • Maddock RMA, Marsh CO, Johns ST, Rooms LD, Duke PW, van der Kamp MW, Stach JEM, Race PR. Molecular basis of hyper-thermostability in the thermophilic archaeal aldolase MfnB. Extremophiles 2024, 28(3), 42.
  • Williams SE, Varliero G, Lurgi M, Stach JEM, Race PR, Curnow P. Diversity and structure of the deep-sea sponge microbiome in the equatorial Atlantic Ocean. Microbiology 2024, 170(7), 001478.
  • Maschio L, Back CR, Alnawah J, Bowen JI, Johns ST, Mbatha SZ, Han L-C, Lees NR, Zorn K, Stach JEM, Hayes MA, van der Kamp MW, Pudney CR, Burston SG, Willis CL, Race PR. Delineation of the complete reaction cycle of a natural Diels-Alderase. Chemical Science 2024, epub ahead of print.
  • Mbatha SZ, Back CR, Devine AJ, Mulliner HM, Johns ST, Lewin H, Cheung KA, Zorn K, Stach JEM, Hayes MA, van der Kamp MW, Race PR, Willis CL. Antibiotic origami: selective formation of spirotetronates in abyssomicin biosynthesis. Chemical Science 2024, 34(15), 14009-14015.
  • Devine AJ, Parnell AE, Back CR, Lees NR, Johns ST, Zulkepli AZ, Barringer R, Zorn K, Stach JEM, Crump MP, Hayes MA, van der Kamp MW, Race PR, Willis CL. The Role of Cytochrome P450 AbyV in the Final Stages of Abyssomicin C Biosynthesis. Angewandte Chemie - International Edition 2023, 62(3), e202213053.
  • Winter AJ, Khanizeman RN, Barker-Mountford AMC, Devine AJ, Wang L, Song Z, Davies JA, Race PR, Williams C, Simpson TJ, Willis CL, Crump MP. Structure and Function of the α-Hydroxylation Bimodule of the Mupirocin Polyketide Synthase. Angewandte Chemie International Edition 2023, 62(47), e202312514.
  • Zorn K, Back CR, Barringer R, Chadimova V, Manzo-Ruiz M, Mbatha SZ, Mobarec J-C, Williams SE, van der Kamp MW, Race PR, Willis CL, Hayes MA. Interrogation of an Enzyme Library Reveals the Catalytic Plasticity of Naturally Evolved [4+2] Cyclases. ChemBioChem 2023, 24(14), e202300382.
  • Barringer R, Parnell AE, Lafita A, Monzon V, Back CR, Madej M, Potempa J, Nobbs AH, Burston SG, Bateman A, Race PR. Domain shuffling of a highly mutable ligand-binding fold drives adhesin generation across the bacterial kingdom. Proteins: Structure, Function and Bioinformatics 2023, 91(8), 1007-1020.
  • Williams SE, Back CR, Best E, Mantell J, Stach JEM, Williams TA, Race PR, Curnow P. Discovery and biosynthetic assessment of 'Streptomyces ortus' sp. nov. isolated from a deep-sea sponge. Microbial Genomics 2023, 9(5), 000996.
  • Hutchins GH, Noble CEM, Bunzel HA, Williams C, Dubiel P, Yadav SKN, Molinaro PM, Barringer R, Blackburn H, Hardy BJ, Parnell AE, Landau C, Race PR, Oliver TAA, Koder RL, Crump MP, Schaffitzel C, Oliveira ASF, Mulholland AJ, Anderson JLR. An expandable, modular de novo protein platform for precision redox engineering. Proceedings of the National Academy of the United States of America 2023, 120(31), e2306046120.
  • Winter AJ, Rowe MT, Weir ANM, Akter N, Mbatha SZ, Walker PD, Williams C, Song Z, Race PR, Willis CL, Crump MP. Programmed Iteration Controls the Assembly of the Nonanoic Acid Side Chain of the Antibiotic Mupirocin. Angewandte Chemie - International Edition 2022, 61(50), e202212393.
  • Neves AT, Stenner R, Race PR, Curnow P. Expression, purification and preliminary characterisation of the choline transporter LicB from opportunistic bacterial pathogens. Protein Expression and Purification 2022, 190, 106011.
  • Stennett HL, Back CR, Race PR. Derivation of a Precise and Consistent Timeline for Antibiotic Development. Antibiotics 2022, 11(9), 1237.
  • Bunnak W, Winter AJ, Lazarus CM, Crump MP, Race PR, Wattana-Amorn P. SAXS reveals highly flexible interdomain linkers of tandem acyl carrier protein–thioesterase domains from a fungal nonreducing polyketide synthase. FEBS Letters 2021, 595(1), 133-144.
  • Davies JA, Bull FM, Walker PD, Weir ANM, Lavigne R, Masschelein J, Simpson TJ, Race PR, Crump MP, Willis CL. Total Synthesis of Kalimantacin A. Organic Letters 2020, 22(16), 6349-6353.
  • Back CR, Higman VA, Le Vay K, Patel VV, Parnell AE, Frankel D, Jenkinson HF, Burston SG, Crump MP, Nobbs AH, Race PR. The streptococcal multidomain fibrillar adhesin CshA has an elongated polymeric architecture. The Journal of Biological Chemistry 2020, 295(19), 6689-6699.
  • Williams SE, Stennett HL, Back CR, Tiwari K, Gomez JO, Challand MR, Hendry KR, Spencer J, Essex-Lopresti AE, Willis CL, Curnow P, Race PR. The bristol sponge microbiome collection: A unique repository of deep-sea microorganisms and associated natural products. Antibiotics 2020, 9(8), 509.
  • Nair AV, Robson A, Ackrill TD, Till M, Byrne MJ, Back CR, Tiwari K, Davies JA, Willis CL, Race PR. Structure and mechanism of a dehydratase/decarboxylase enzyme couple involved in polyketide β-methyl branch incorporation. Scientific Reports 2020, 10(1), 15323.
  • Wang L, Song Z, Race PR, Spencer J, Simpson TJ, Crump MP, Willis CL. Mixing and matching genes of marine and terrestrial origin in the biosynthesis of the mupirocin antibiotics. Chemical Science 2020, 11(20), 5221-5226.
  • Marucci L, Barberis M, Karr J, Ray O, Race PR, de Souza Andrade M, Grierson C, Hoffmann SA, Landon S, Rech E, Rees-Garbutt J, Seabrook R, Shaw W, Woods C. Computer-Aided Whole-Cell Design: Taking a Holistic Approach by Integrating Synthetic With Systems Biology. Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology 2020, 8, 942.
  • Walker PD, Rowe MT, Winter AJ, Weir ANM, Akter N, Wang L, Race PR, Williams C, Song Z, Simpson TJ, Willis CL, Crump MP. A priming cassette generates hydroxylated acyl starter units in mupirocin and thiomarinol biosynthesis. ACS Chemical Biology 2020, 15(2), 494-503.
  • Wang W, Moreau NG, Yuan Y, Race PR, Pang W. Towards machine learning approaches for predicting the self-healing efficiency of materials. Computational Materials Science 2019, 168, 180-187.
  • Xiao W, Green TIP, Liang X, Delint RC, Perry G, Roberts MS, Le Vay K, Back CR, Ascione R, Wang H, Race PR, Perriman AW. Designer artificial membrane binding proteins to direct stem cells to the myocardium. Chemical Science 2019, 10(32), 7610-7618.
  • Walker PD, Williams C, Weir ANM, Wang L, Crosby J, Race PR, Simpson TJ, Willis CL, Crump MP. Control of β-Branching in Kalimantacin Biosynthesis: Application of 13C NMR to Polyketide Programming. Angewandte Chemie - International Edition 2019, 58(36), 12446-12450.
  • Lees NR, Han LC, Byrne MJ, Davies JA, Parnell AE, Moreland PEJ, Stach JEM, van der Kamp MW, Willis CL, Race PR. An Esterase‐like Lyase Catalyzes Acetate Elimination in Spirotetronate/Spirotetramate Biosynthesis. Angewandte Chemie International Edition 2019, 58(8), 2305-2309.
  • Marsh CO, Lees NR, Han L-C, Byrne MJ, Mbatha SZ, Maschio L, Pagden-Ratcliffe S, Duke PW, Stach JEM, Curnow P, Willis CL, Race PR. A Natural Diels-Alder Biocatalyst Enables Efficient [4+2] Cycloaddition Under Harsh Reaction Conditions. ChemCatChem 2019, 11(20), 5027-5031.
  • Mohammad HH, Connolly JA, Song Z, Hothersall J, Race PR, Willis CL, Simpson TJ, Winn PJ, Thomas CM. Fine Tuning of Antibiotic Activity by a Tailoring Hydroxylase in a Trans-AT Polyketide Synthase Pathway. ChemBioChem 2018, 19(8), 836-841.
  • Wang L, Parnell A, Williams C, Bakar NA, Challand MR, van der Kamp MW, Simpson TJ, Race PR, Crump MP, Willis CL. A Rieske oxygenase/epoxide hydrolase-catalysed reaction cascade creates oxygen heterocycles in mupirocin biosynthesis. Nature Catalysis 2018, 1(12), 968-976.
  • Back CR, Sztukowska MN, Till M, Lamont RJ, Jenkinson HF, Nobbs AH, Race PR. The Streptococcus gordonii adhesin CshA protein binds host fibronectin via a catch-clamp mechanism. Journal of Biological Chemistry 2017, 292(5), 1538-1549.
  • Francis O, Baker GE, Race PR, Adams JC. Studies of recombinant TWA1 reveal constitutive dimerization. Bioscience Reports 2017, 37(1), BSR20160401.
  • Gao S-S, Wang L, Song Z, Hothersall J, Stevens ER, Connolly J, Winn PJ, Cox RJ, Crump MP, Race PR, Thomas CM, Simpson TJ, Willis CL. Selected Mutations Reveal New Intermediates in the Biosynthesis of Mupirocin and the Thiomarinol Antibiotics. Angewandte Chemie - International Edition 2017, 56(14), 3930-3934.
  • Thistlethwaite IRG, Bull FM, Cui C, Walker PD, Gao S-S, Wang L, Song Z, Masschelein J, Lavigne R, Crump MP, Race PR, Simpson TJ, Willis CL. Elucidation of the relative and absolute stereochemistry of the kalimantacin/batumin antibiotics. Chemical Science 2017, 8(9), 6196-6201.
  • Byrne MJ, Lees NR, Han LC, van der Kamp MW, Mulholland AJ, Stach JEM, Willis CL, Race PR. The Catalytic Mechanism of a Natural Diels-Alderase Revealed in Molecular Detail. Journal of the American Chemical Society 2016, 138(19), 6095-6098.
  • Rego S, Heal TJ, Pidwill GR, Till M, Robson A, Lamont RJ, Sessions RB, Jenkinson HF, Race PR, Nobbs AH. Structural and functional analysis of cell wall-anchored polypeptide adhesin BspA in Streptococcus agalactiae. Journal of Biological Chemistry 2016, 291(31), 15985-16000.
  • Sedgley KR, Race PR, Woolfson DN. BrisSynBio: A BBSRC/EPsrc-funded synthetic biology research centre. Biochemical Society Transactions 2016, 44(3), 689-691.
  • Abood A, Al-Fahad A, Scott A, Hosny AE-DMS, Hashem AM, Fattah AMA, Race PR, Simpson TJ, Cox RJ. Kinetic characterisation of the FAD dependent monooxygenase TropB and investigation of its biotransformation potential. RSC Advances 2015, 5(62), 49987-49995.
  • Tilley FC, Williamson RC, Race PR, Rendall TC, Bass MD. Iintegration of the Rac1- and actin-binding properties of coronin-1C. Small GTPases 2015, 6(1), 36-42.
  • Williamson RC, Cowell CAM, Hammond CL, Bergen DJM, Roper JA, Feng Y, Rendall TCS, Race PR, Bass MD. Coronin-1C and RCC2 guide mesenchymal migration by trafficking Rac1 and controlling GEF exposure. Journal of Cell Science 2014, 127(19), 4292-4307.
  • Till M, Robson A, Byrne MJ, Nair AV, Kolek SA, Shaw Stewart PD, Race PR. Improving the success rate of protein crystallization by random microseed matrix screening. JoVE 2013, (78), e50548.
  • Cuskin F, Solovyova AS, Lewis RJ, Race PR. Crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of the bacillaene synthase trans-acting acyltransferase PksC. Acta Crystallographica. Section F: Structural Biology and Crystallization Communications Online 2011, 67(4), 464-466.
  • Solovyova AS, Pointon JA, Race PR, Smith WD, Kehoe MA, Banfield MJ. Solution structure of the major (Spy0128) and minor (Spy0125 and Spy0130) pili subunits from Streptococcus pyogenes. European Biophysics Journal 2010, 39(3), 469-480.
  • Crow A, Race P, Jubelin G, Chavez C, Escoubas J, Oswald E, Banfield M. Crystal structures of Cif from bacterial pathogens Photorhabdus luminescens and Burkholderia pseudomallei. PLoS ONE 2009, 4(5), e5582.
  • Race PR, Bentley ML, Melvin JA, Crow A, Hughes RK, Smith WD, Sessions RB, Kehoe MA, McCafferty DG, Banfield MJ. Crystal structure of Streptococcus pyogenes sortase A: implications for sortase mechanism. Journal of Biological Chemistry 2009, 284(11), 6924-6933.
  • Marles-Wright J, Grant T, Delumeau O, van Duinen G, Firbank S, Lewis P, Murray J, Newman J, Quin M, Race P, Rohou A, Tichelaar W, van Heel M, Lewis RJ. Molecular architecture of the "stressosome," a signal integration and transduction hub. Science 2008, 322(5898), 92-96.
  • Race PR, Lovering AL, White SA, Grove JI, Searle PF, Wrighton CW, Hyde EI. Kinetic and Structural Characterisation of Escherichia coli Nitroreductase Mutants Showing Improved Efficacy for the Prodrug Substrate CB1954. Journal of Molecular Biology 2007, 368(2), 481-492.
  • Race PR, Solovyova AS, Banfield MJ. Conformation of the EPEC Tir protein in solution: Investigating the impact of serine phosphorylation at positions 434/463. Biophysical Journal 2007, 93(2), 586-596.
  • Race PR, Lakey JH, Banfield MJ. Insertion of the enteropathogenic Escherichia coli Tir virulence protein into membranes in vitro. Journal of Biological Chemistry 2006, 281(12), 7842-7849.
  • Race PR, Lovering AL, Green RM, Ossor A, White SA, Searle PF, Wrighton CJ, Hyde EI. Structural and mechanistic studies of Escherichia coli nitroreductase with the antibiotic nitrofurazone: Reversed binding orientations in different redox states of the enzyme. Journal of Biological Chemistry 2005, 280(14), 13256-13264.
  • Openshaw AEA, Race PR, Monzo HJ, Vazquez-Boland J-A, Banfield MJ. Crystal structure of SmcL, a bacterial neutral sphingomyelinase C from Listeria. Journal of Biological Chemistry 2005, 280(41), 35011-35017.
  • Hu L, Yu C, Jiang Y, Han J, Li Z, Browne P, Race PR, Knox RJ, Searle PF, Hyde EI. Nitroaryl Phosphoramides as Novel Prodrugs for E. coli Nitroreductase Activation in Enzyme Prodrug Therapy. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 2003, 46(23), 4818-4821.
  • Grove JI, Lovering AL, Guise C, Race PR, Wrighton CJ, White SA, Hyde EI, Searle PF. Generation of Escherichia coli nitroreductase mutants conferring improved cell sensitization to the prodrug CB1954. Cancer Research 2003, 63(17), 5532-5537.

• Book Chapters

  • Stennett HL, Tiwari K, Williams SE, Curnow P, Race PR. The extremophilic pharmacy: Drug discovery at the limits of life. In: Biotechnological Applications of Extremophilic Microorganisms. De Gruyter, 2020, pp.43-72.
  • Maschio L, Parnell AE, Lees NR, Willis CL, Schaffitzel C, Stach JEM, Race PR. Cloning, expression, and purification of intact polyketide synthase modules. In: Methods in Enzymology. Academic Press, 2019, pp.63-82.
  • Race PR. Synthetic biology: A game changer?. In: Lara Marks, ed. Engineering Health: How Biotechnology Changed Medicine. Royal Society of Chemistry, 2017, pp.196-215.
  • Till M, Race PR. The assembly line enzymology of polyketide biosynthesis. In: Bradley S. Evans, ed. Nonribosomal Peptide and Polyketide Biosynthesis: Methods and Protocols. New York: Humana Press Inc, 2016, pp.31-49.

• Conference Proceedings (inc. Abstract)

  • Searle PF, Chen M-J, Hu L, Race PR, Lovering AL, Grove JI, Guise C, Jaberipour M, James ND, Mautner V, Young LS, Kerr DJ, Mountain A, White SA, Hyde EI. Nitroreductase: A prodrug-activating enzyme for cancer gene therapy. In: 37th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Australasian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists. 2004, Sydney, Australia: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

• Reviews

  • Maddock RMA, Pollard GJ, Moreau NG, Perry JJ, Race PR. Enzyme-catalysed polymer cross-linking: Biocatalytic tools for chemical biology, materials science and beyond. Biopolymers 2020, 111(9), e23390.
  • Till M, Race PR. Progress challenges and opportunities for the re-engineering of trans-AT polyketide synthases. Biotechnology Letters 2014, 36(5), 877-888.