Linda J KENNEY
Alumni, Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore
Pawan Kumar Mishra
Research Fellow, Hirashima Group
Arceo Alaine Vien Villanueva
Research Assistant, Dye & Michelot Group
Xixun Lu
SPS Intern, Chan Group
Hannah Fung
Research Fellow, Li Group
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
An Afternoon Visit to MBI by JC Students across Singapore
MBI hosted 19 students from various Junior Colleges across Singapore, taking them on an enthralling educational journey that ventures into the crossovers of biology, physics and engineering.
Lee Chin Hao
FYP Student, Chan Group
Titouan Etienne Poquillon
Research Associate, Beghin Group
Academic exchange at the Academia Sinica and National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan
Joe was invited to speak at the Institute of Physics (Academia Sinica) and the International Center for Wound Repair and Regeneration (NCKU). Great feedback on our ongoing work with exciting potential for future collaborations. Hope to be back soon!
Ong Huan Ting
Research Fellow, Young Group
Joe invited to speak at various conferences and universities in Apr and May
Joe was recently invited to speak at British Society for Cell Biology Annual Conference (UK), Hubrecht Institute (Netherlands), Paris Cite ́University (France), Collège de France (France), Reproductive Ageing Conference (USA) and MBI-Weizmann Institute joint symposium (Israel). It was also great catching up with old friends, mentors and collaborators!
Wu Yue
Research Fellow, Yu Group
MBI Director Rong Li elected as ASCB Fellow
Congratulations to MBI Director Prof. Rong Li on her election as a Fellow of the American Society for Cell Biology.
Kevin Nicholas
Research Associate, Grenci Group
Anna has been awarded the prestigious Walter-Benjamin Fellowship!
Our postdoc Anna Jaeschke has been awarded the prestigious Walter-Benjamin Fellowship from DFG (German Research Foundation) for her research investigating the role of tissue microenvironment in ovarian ageing and infertility. Congratulations to Anna!
Khadijah Binte Zulkifli
Research Assistant, Low Group
Bridging the (BP)GAP in metastasis
A collaborative study between researchers at MBI and scientists locally and overseas discovered how a scaffolding protein synchronizes, in space and time, two important regulatory proteins driving cell migration Learn more
