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Research Interests

Bacterial Pathogenesis

Mechanisms of bacterial resistance to host innate immunity

Role of the plasminogen activation system infectious disease

Representative Publications

Sanderson-Smith ML, Dinkla K, Cole JN, Cork AJ, Maamary PG, McArthur JD, Chhatwal GS, Walker MJ. M protein mediated plasminogen binding is essential for the virulence of an invasive Streptococcus pyogenes isolate. FASEB J Aug, 22 (8): 2715-22 (2008).

McArthur JD, McKay FC, Ramachandran V, Shyam P, Cork AJ, Sanderson-Smith ML, Cole JN, Ringdahl U, Sjobring U, Ranson M, Walker MJ. Allelic variants of streptokinase from Streptococcus pyogenes display functional differences in plasminogen activation. FASEB J Sep, 22 (9): 3146-53 (2008).

Walker MJ, Hollands A, Sanderson-Smith ML, Cole JN, Kirk JK, Henningham A, McArthur JD, Dinkla K, Aziz RK, Kansal RG, Simpson AJ, Buchanan JT, Chhatwal GS, Kotb M, Nizet V. DNase-mediated resistance to neutrophil killing provides selection pressure for a genetic and phenotypic switch promoting invasive group A streptococcal infection. Nature Medicine 13 (8): 981-985 (2007).

Sanderson-Smith ML, Dowton M, Ranson M, Walker MJ. The plasminogen-binding group A streptococcal M protein-related protein Prp binds plasminogen via arginine and histidine residues. Journal of Bacteriology 189 (4): 1435-1440 (2007).

Cole JN, McArthur JD, McKay FC, Sanderson-Smith ML, Cork AJ, Ranson M, Rohde M, Itzek A, Sun H, Ginsburg D, Kotb M, Nizet V, Chhatwal GS, Walker MJ. Trigger for group A streptococcal M1T1 invasive disease. FASEB J 20: 1745-1747 (2006)

Sanderson-Smith ML, Walker MJ, Ranson M. The maintenance of high affinity plasminogen binding by group A streptococcal plasminogen-binding M-like protein is mediated by arginine and histidine residues within the a1 and a2 repeat domains. Journal of Biological Chemistry 281 (36): 25965-25971 (2006).

Sanderson-Smith ML, Batzloff M, Sriprakash KS, Dowton M, Ranson M, Walker MJ. Divergence in the plasminogen-binding group A streptococcal M protein family: Functional conservation of binding site and potential role for immune selection of variants. Journal of Biological Chemistry 281 (6): 3217-3226 (2006).

McKay FC, Walker MJ, McArthur JD, Sanderson-Smith ML, Gardam S, Currie BJ, Sriprakash KS, Fagan PK, Towers RJ, Batzloff MR, Chhatwal GS, Ranson M. Walker MJ. Plasminogen binding by group A streptococcal isolates from a region of hyperendemicity for streptococcal skin infection and a high incidence of invasive infection. Infection and Immunity 72 (1): 364-370 (2004).

Current Students

J. Tsatsaronis BBiotech (2009). Identification of virulence factors involved in Group A Streptococcal neutrophil resistance and invasive disease (Co-supervised with Prof. Mark Walker).

Amanda Groznik (2009). Construction and characterisation of allelic replacement mutants in Streptococcus pyogenes which affect interactions with plasminogen (Co-supervised with Dr. Jason McArthur).

Future Topics for Students

Characterisation of Group A Streptococcal plasminogen receptors

The role of bacterial plasmin acquisition in evasion of the innate immune response

Mechanisms of Group A Streptococcal neutrophil resistance

Abbreviated CV

EDUCATION

Doctor of Philosophy (Research),

School of Biological Sciences

University of Wollongong.

Bachelor of Biotechnology (Honours, Class 1)

University of Wollongong.

EMPLOYMENT

2008-Present

Associate Research Fellow, School of Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong. Project: Identifying the mechanisms of group A streptococcal invasive disease and innate immune resistance.

2007-2008

Alexander von Humboldt Fellow, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Germany.

2006-2007

Associate Research Fellow in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Wollongong. Project: Characterisation of the virulence mechanisms of Streptococcus pyogenes.

AWARDS AND FELLOWSHIPS

2007 Alexander von Humboldt Postdoctoral Research Fellowship