Linda J KENNEY
Alumni, Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore
The Chan Lab heads MBI’s Outreach to Raffles Girls’ School!
Over the March school holidays, the Chan Lab headed MBI's Outreach to a group of students from Raffles Girls' School comprising talks and lab demonstrations by MBI's core staff, students and researchers.
Sriram Muthukumar
Research Fellow, Holle Group
Espérance Nku-Mokabo
Research Associate, Grenci Group
Xiaohong Yao
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
Wong Liting
Research Assistant, Lim Group
MBI PI Timothy Saunders selected as EMBO Global Investigator
Asst. Prof. Timothy Saunders, MBI Principal Investigator and Department of Biological Sciences, NUS has been selected to join the European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO) Global Investigator Network.
How fish get their shape
By investigating how chevron patterns form in embryonic fish muscle, a team from the Saunders Lab has revealed how physical forces are essential for correct formation of complex organ shapes. Learn more
International Conference on Genomes and AI: Post-event report
This 3-day event created a common platform for scientists, industry experts, and students to share ideas and innovations, and to facilitate fruitful discussions on how AI-based tools could be used to spur research in biological sciences.
Hilary Lappin-Scott visiting from Cardiff
Prof. Hilary Lappin-Scottvisiting MBI on 27th November, 2019, for an afternoon of talks, discussion and networking opportunities.
Actin Cytoskeleton-Based Mechanisms of Establishing Left-Right Asymmetry in Biological Systems
This mini symposium will explore exciting new findings in the study of actin cytoskeleton and its responsibility in establishing left-right asymmetry. Admission is free for all interested.
Wu Hongyi
Research Fellow, Li Group
Rachna Narayanan
Alumni, Saunders Group
Shen Yi Ying Narelle Nicola
Alumni, Research Assistant, Yu Group
Lim Hoe King
Alumni, Yu Group
Hew Choy Leong receives Alumni Award for Academic Achievement
Emeritus Professor Hew Choy Leong, Senior Advisor to MBI, is honoured with an Outstanding Alumni Award for Academic Achievement.
When spacing matters
Dr Rishita Changede of the Sheetz Lab is exploring how the spacing between matrix protein fibers affect clustering of the cell surface receptors integrins and how this influences the formation of integrin-mediated cell-matrix adhesions and subsequent cell spreading. Learn more
