Professor Gregory Cook

Research Interest: Cellular and Molecular Bacterial Physiology
Year of Appointment: 1997
Training: MSc(Hons) PhD(Waikato)

My current research is aimed at gaining mechanistic insight into how bacteria sense and respond to their environment at the level of the cytoplasmic membrane. The membrane proteins and signaling pathways involved and how they control the physiological response of a particular bacterium to environmental signals is a major focus.

Current Research Projects

• Adaptation of the membrane-bound F1Fo ATP synthase to function under different environments
• Energetics of Mycobacterium tuberculosis: adaptation to hypoxia and low energy conditions
• The role of toxin-antitoxin modules in controlling growth arrest in Mycobacterium tuberculosis
• Bacterial sensing of bacitracin stress in Enterococci - characterization of a novel regulatory protein BcrR

These projects utilize modern technologies (e.g. proteomics, transcriptomics, molecular biology and structural biology) to address important questions in bacterial adaptation to environment.

Teaching: CELS191, MICR221, MICR222 (course convenor), GENE223, MICR335, MICR360, MICR461, MICR463

National and international collaborations (active):

Dr Thomas Meier, Max Planck Institute of Biophysics, Department of Structural Biology, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Professor Sir John Walker, Director, Mitochondrial Biology Unit, MRC, Cambridge, United Kingdom
Professor Masasuke Yoshida, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan (ICORP International Cooperative Research Project)
Professor Dr, Klaas Martinus Pos, Institute of Biochemistry, Goethe-University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Dr Susanne Gebhard, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Biozentrum der LMU
Mikrobiologie, Munich, Germany
Professor Edward Baker and Dr Shaun Lott, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
Associate Professor Vickery Arcus, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand
Drs Peter Janssen, Ron Ronimus and Graeme Attwood, Food, Metabolism and Microbiology, Grasslands Research Centre, AgResearch Limited, Palmerston North, New Zealand
Dr Desmond Collins, AgResearch, Infectious Diseases Molecular Biology, Wallaceville, Wellington, New Zealand

Group members:

Ms Nicola Marechal, Lab manager, nicola.marechal@otago.ac.nz , +64 3 4797733
Dr Michael Berney, 2007 – present, michael.berney@otago.ac.nz, +64 3 4797733
Dr Naohiro Taniguichi, 2009-present, aa47098@gmail.com, +64 3 4797733
Dr Falk Kalamorz, 2009-present, falk.kalamorz@otago.ac.nz, +64 3 4797733
Dr Adam Heikal, 2010-present, +64 3 4797733
Mr Htin Aung, Research technician, htinlinaung@gmail.com, +64 3 4797733

Ms Anja Humpel, PhD candidate, huean332@student.otago.ac.nz
Ms Jennifer Robson, PhD candidate, jenrobson1@gmail.com
Ms Aishath Shaaly, PhD candidate, shaaly@yahoo.com
Ms Rebekah Frampton, PhD candidate, frare251@student.otago.ac.nz
Ms Nandula Ekanayaka, PhD candidate, nandula_padmaperuma@hotmail.com
Ms Marina Iglesias Cans, PhD candidate, miglesiascans@gmail.com

Previous group members
Dr Jonathan Gauntlett, 2008 (currently Massey University, Auckland)
Dr Duncan McMillan, 2008-2009 (currently University of Leeds, UK)
Dr Scott Ferguson, 2007-2008 (currently MRC Cambridge, UK)
Dr Susanne Gebhard, 2006 – 2009 (currently Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich)
Dr Sunil Ratnayake, 2003 (currently Sri Lanka)
Dr Stefanie Keis, 2001 – 2008 (currently Australia)
Sieu Tran, 2000-2007 (Junior Research Fellow) (currently PhD Candidate, University of Sydney)

PhD students

Sui Mae Lee, 2004-2009 (currently Monash Sunway, Malaysia)
Pearl Swe, 2004-2008 (currently Victoria University, Wellington)
Duncan McMillan, 2004-2008 (currently University of Leeds, UK)
Jonathan Gauntlett, 2004-2008 (currently Massey University, Auckland)
Rebecca McDougal, 2003-2007 (currently Massey University, Palmerston North)
Scott Ferguson, 2003-2007 (currently MRC Cambridge, UK)
Susanne Gebhard, 2003-2006 (currently Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich)
Matthew James Shirley, 1999-2006 (currently INRA, Dijon, France)
Rajan Prasad Adhikari, 2000-2004 (currently NYU, USA)
Karen Olsson, 2001-2004 (currently Planetary and Space Sciences Research Institute, UK)
Janet Manson, 2000-2004 (currently Harvard, USA)

MSc students
Lisa Shaw, 2008-2010 (currently Malaghan Institute, Wellington)
Marion R. Weimar, 2009 (currently University of Otago)
Faith Cox, 2004-2006 (currently AgResearch, Palmerston North)
Pearl Swe, 2001-2003 (currently Victoria University)
Cameron Simmers, 2001-2003 (currently Medical School, Dunedin) Ian Monk, 2001-2003 (currently Trinity College, Dublin)
Richard Udy, 1999-2001 (currently Bank Industry)
Connor Wright, 2000-2002 (currently Genesis)
Rebecca McDougal, 2000-2002 (currently Massey University) Craig Anderson, 1999-2001 (currently Lincoln University) Katherine A. Young 1998-2000 (currently University of Otago) Kere R. Kobayashi, 1998-1999 (currently Dentist Australian Navy)

Selected Recent Publications (of 90 publications)
Berney, M. and Cook, G.M. Unique flexibility in energy metabolism allows mycobacteria to combat starvation and hypoxia. PLoS ONE Jan 7;5(1):e8614 (2010)

Cook, G.M., Berney, M., Gebhard, S., Heinemann, M., Cox, R.A., Danilchanka, O. and Niederweis, M. Physiology of mycobacteria. Advances in Microbial Physiology 55:81-182 (2009)

McMillan, D.G.G., Berney, M., Keis, S. and Cook, G.M. Non-fermentative thermoalkaliphilic growth is restricted to alkaline environments. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 75:7649–7654 (2009)

Mesbah, N.M., Cook, G.M. and Wiegel, J. The halophilic alkalithermophile Natranaerobius thermophilus adapts to multiple environmental extremes using a large repertoire of Na+(K+)/H+ antiporters. Molecular Microbiology 74:270–281 (2009)

Gebhard, S., Gaballa, A., Helmann, J.D. and Cook, G.M. Direct stimulus perception and transcription activation by a membrane-bound DNA binding protein. Molecular Microbiology 73:482-491 (2009)

Robson, J., McKenzie, J.L., Cursons, R., Cook, G.M. and Arcus, V.L. The vapBC operon from Mycobacterium smegmatis is an autoregulated toxin-antitoxin module which controls growth via inhibition of translation. Journal of Molecular Biology 390:353-367 (2009)

Matthies, D., Preiß, L., Klyszejko, A.L., Muller, D.J., Cook, G.M., Vonck, J. and Meier, T. The c13 ring from a thermoalkaliphilic ATP synthase reveals an extended diameter due to a special structural region. Journal of Molecular Biology 388:611-618 (2009) Cover of Journal

Gauntlett, J.C., Gebhard, S., Keis, S., Manson, J.M., Pos, K.M. and Cook, G.M. Molecular analysis of BcrR: a membrane-bound bacitracin sensor and DNA binding protein from Enterococcus faecalis. Journal of Biological Chemistry 283:8591-8600 (2008)

Gebhard, S. and Cook, G.M. Differential regulation of high-affinity phosphate transport systems of Mycobacterium smegmatis: Identification of PhnF, a repressor of the phnDCE operon. Journal of Bacteriology 190:1335-1343 (2008)

von Ballmoos, C., Cook, G.M. and Dimroth, P. Unique rotary ATP synthase and its biological diversity. Annual Review of Biophysics and Biomolecular Structure 37:43-64 (2008)

Meier, T., Morgner, N., Matthies, D., Pogoryelov, D., Keis, S., Cook, G.M., Dimroth, P. and B. Brutschy. A tridecameric c ring of the ATP synthase from the thermoalkaliphilic Bacillus sp. TA2.A1 facilitates ATP synthesis at low electrochemical proton potential. Molecular Microbiology 65:1181-1192 (2007) Cover of Journal

Stocker, A., Keis, S., Vonck, J., Cook, G.M. and Dimroth, P. The structural basis for unidirectional rotation of thermoalkaliphilic F1-ATPase. Structure 15:904-914 (2007)

McMillan, D.G.G., Keis, S., Dimroth, P. and Cook, G.M. A specific adaptation in the a subunit of thermoalkaliphilic F1Fo-ATP synthase enables ATP synthesis at high pH but not at neutral pH values. Journal of Biological Chemistry 282:17395-17404 (2007)

Cox, R. and Cook, G.M. Growth regulation in the mycobacterial cell. Current Molecular Medicine 7:231-245 (2007) Cover of Journal