Linda J KENNEY
Alumni, Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore
Zhang Zheng
Research Fellow, Yan Jie Group
Avery Sun selected for CEMB Future Leaders in Mechanobiology Seminar Series
MBI PhD student Avery Sun was selected for the Future Leaders in Mechanobiology Seminar Series in February 2025. This monthly seminar series is hosted by the Center for Engineering Mechanobiology, University of Pennsylvania, USA.
Felix Uecker
Research Fellow, Li Group
Seeking Postdoctoral Fellow in Asst. Prof. Natalie Dye’s Laboratory at the Mechanobiology Institute, NUS
We are seeking to recruit a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Dye Laboratory at the Mechanobiology Institute, NUS.
Linda J Kenney
Alumni
Research Areas
Signal transduction in bacteria; Bacterial Pathogenesis; Mechanotransduction and osmotic signaling in E. coli; Mechanisms of anti-silencing of virulence genes in Salmonella
Research Interests
Our laboratory is interested in signal transduction and the regulation of gene expression in prokaryotes. In particular, we are studying the two-component regulatory system EnvZ/OmpR that regulates the expression of outer membrane proteins as well as many other genes. Our present work focuses on how OmpR activates genes required for systemic infection (located on Salmonella pathogenicity island 2) in Salmonella enterica.
The Kenney Lab’s research was recently featured in an article exploring the bacterial molecular switch between virulence or dormancy, Salmonella Lifestyle Choices. Members of her lab have discovered that the bacterial protein SsrB is the molecular switch for determining whether Salmonella infections become acute and virulent, or remain in a dormant carrier state.
The study is published in eLife (Desai et al., The horizontally-acquired response regulator SsrB drives a Salmonella lifestyle switch by relieving biofilm silencing, February 2, 2016, eLife 2016; 5: e10747, doi: 10.7554/eLife.10747). Read full article.
Biography
Dr Kenney is a Professor of Microbiology at the University of Illinois-Chicago. Her laboratory studies two-component systems in bacteria that control gene expression at a single cell and nanometer level.
Professor Linda J Kenney and Professor Michael Sheetz interviewed by the Washington Post at the April 2017 March for Science.
Education
PhD University of Pennsylvania
Recent Publications
- Fernandez M, Yamanaka Y, Zangoui P, White MA, and Kenney LJ. The sulfur assimilation pathway mitigates redox stress from acidic pH in Salmonella Typhi H58. mBio 2025;:e0046725. [PMID: 40422406]
- Shetty D, and Kenney LJ. A pH-sensitive switch activates virulence in Salmonella. Elife 2023; 12. [PMID: 37706506]
- Oh D, Liu X, Sheetz MP, and Kenney LJ. Small, Dynamic Clusters of Tir-Intimin Seed Actin Polymerization. Small 2023;:e2302580. [PMID: 37649226]
- Mon KKZ, Si Z, Chan-Park MB, and Kenney LJ. Polyimidazolium Protects against an Invasive Clinical Isolate of Salmonella Typhimurium. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2022;:e0059722. [PMID: 36094258]
- Jacob H, Geng H, Shetty D, Halow N, Kenney LJ, and Nakano MM. Distinct Interaction Mechanism of RNAP and ResD and Distal Subsites for Transcription Activation of Nitrite Reductase in Bacillus subtilisψ. J Bacteriol 2021;:JB0043221. [PMID: 34898263]
- Singh MK, Zangoui P, Yamanaka Y, and Kenney LJ. Genetic code expansion enables visualization of Salmonella type three secretion system components and secreted effectors. Elife 2021; 10. [PMID: 34061032]
- Kenney LJ, and Anand GS. EnvZ/OmpR Two-Component Signaling: An Archetype System That Can Function Noncanonically. EcoSal Plus 2020; 9(1). [PMID: 32003321]
- Desai SK, and Kenney LJ. Switching Lifestyles Is an in vivo Adaptive Strategy of Bacterial Pathogens. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2019; 9:421. [PMID: 31921700]
- Desai SK, Padmanabhan A, Harshe S, Zaidel-Bar R, and Kenney LJ. Salmonella biofilms program innate immunity for persistence in Caenorhabditis elegans. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 2019;. [PMID: 31160462]
- Ottemann KM, and Kenney LJ. Editorial overview: Host-pathogen interactions: bacteria. Curr. Opin. Microbiol. 2019; 47:iii-v. [PMID: 31138403]
Lab Members
How do nascent adhesions grow into mature focal adhesions?
How do nascent adhesions grow into mature focal adhesions? Nascent adhesions undergo a transient phase of rapid assembly and disassembly through which a fraction of adhesions survive to evolve into more stable and larger [...]
How are proteins sequentially recruited to focal adhesion sites?
How are proteins recruited to focal adhesion sites? The chronological order of protein recruitment into focal adhesions leads to the concept of sequential assembly. Accordingly, the exact composition of each elongating adhesions is dependent [...]
What steps are involved in the formation of focal adhesions?
What steps are involved in the formation of focal adhesions? The assembly of focal adhesions is highly regulated, with protein recruitment occurring in a sequential manner [1], and resulting in structures that are organized [...]
What are actin filaments?
What are actin filaments? Actin filaments (F-actin) are linear polymers of globular actin (G-actin) subunits and occur as microfilaments in the cytoskeleton and as thin filaments, which are part of the contractile apparatus, in [...]
What is the cytoskeleton?
What is the Cytoskeleton? The eukaryotic cytoskeleton is a network of three long filament systems, made from the repetitive assembly and disassembly of dynamic protein components. The primary filament systems comprising the cytoskeleton are [...]
Arikta and Yuting shared their research as speakers at the MBI Conference 2023
Congratulations to Arikta and Yuting for being selected as speakers and sharing their latest research on ovarian folliculogenesis in MBI Conference 2023: Mechanobiology in Health and Disease. Thanks to various feedback following the talks!
Seeking Postdoctoral Fellow in Dr. Anne Beghin’s Group at MBI, NUS
The Mechanobiology Institute, NUS seeks to recruit a Postdoctoral Research Fellow to Dr. Anne Beghin's lab.
Seeking Postdoctoral Fellow in the Young Laboratory at the Mechanobiology Institute, NUS
The Mechanobiology Institute, NUS seeks to recruit a Postdoctoral Research Fellow to Asst. Prof. Jennifer Young's lab.
Know You Foe, Work Safely: MBI Safety Day and Safety & Health Management Awards
Through useful talks, fun games and good food, MBI learnt about the dangers in the lab/workplace, and celebrated the good work MBI has done in securing a safe and healthy work environment for all
MBI Conference 2023: Mechanobiology in Health and Disease
MBI's biggest in-person conference and event-of-the-year saw the convergence more than 250 enthusiastic researchers from 21 countries and their exciting discoveries from years of research in mechanobiology
Faculty Recruitment 2023/24
The Mechanobiology Institute (MBI) at the National University of Singapore (NUS) invites applications from outstanding candidates for faculty positions at all levels.
Seeking Research Fellow in the Theory Collaborator team at MBI, NUS
We seek to recruit a Research Fellow in the Theory Collaborator at the Mechanobiology Institute, NUS.
