Dr Marcus Edwards
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Email
m.edwards@essex.ac.uk -
Location
Colchester Campus
Profile
Biography
My lab’s research uses protein biochemistry, molecular biology, microbiology and structural biology to study bacterial electron transfer mechanisms. Many bacteria are able to exchange electrons with their extracellular environment. These include iron reducing bacteria, such as Shewanella and Geobacter, which transfer intracellular electrons to iron oxides in order to support anaerobic respiration. These also include iron oxidising bacteria, such as Sideroxydans and Rhodopseudomonas which are able to obtain electrons from reduced iron species outside of the cell in order to generate reducing equivalents (NADH) and chemical energy (ATP) within the cell. The ability of bacteria to directly exchange electrons with their environment not only impacts on the biogeochemical cycling of many redox active elements, but is also of great interest for the potential biotechnological applications including microbial fuel cells, bioelectrosynthesis, biosensors, bioremediation and bioreclamation of metals from waste streams.
Qualifications
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PhD John Innes Centre, (2009)
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MSc - Bioinformatics University of East Anglia, (2005)
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BSc - Biochemistry University of East Anglia, (2004)
Appointments
University of Essex
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Lecturer, School of Life Sciences, University of Essex (1/7/2020 - present)
Other academic
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Researcher Co-Investigator / Senior Research Associate, University of East Anglia (1/10/2009 - 30/6/2020)
Research and professional activities
Research interests
Bacterial Extracellular Electron Transfer
My lab’s research mainly focusses upon bacterial electron transfer. Many bacteria are able to exchange electrons with their extracellular environment. These include iron reducing bacteria, such as Shewanella and Geobacter, which transfer intracellular electrons to iron oxides in order to support anaerobic respiration. These also include iron oxidising bacteria, such as Sideroxydans and Rhodopseudomonas which are able to obtain electrons from reduced iron species outside of the cell in order to generate reducing equivalents (NADH) and chemical energy (ATP) within the cell. The ability of bacteria to directly exchange electrons with their environment not only impacts on the biogeochemical cycling of many redox active elements, but is also of great interest for the potential biotechnological applications including microbial fuel cells, bioelectrosynthesis, biosensors, bioremediation and bioreclamation of metals from waste streams.
Protein Biochemistry (focus on metalloproteins)
Biotechnology (focus on microbial biotechnology)
Molecular Biology (focus on microbial systems)
Microbiology (focus on electroactive microbes)
Structural Biology (focus on metalloproteins)
Conferences and presentations
Electron Transfer at the Microbe-Mineral Interface
Invited presentation, Invited Departmental Seminar (In-person), Lausanne, Switzerland, 21/2/2023
Bioinformatic identification of electron transfer complexes
Invited presentation, Online Symposium: Membrane Proteins Involved In Extracellular Electron Transfer, Online, Lisbon, Portugal, 29/9/2022
Teaching and supervision
Current teaching responsibilities
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Inorganic and Physical Chemistry (BS133)
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Employability Skills for the Biosciences (BS211)
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Proteins and Macromolecular Assemblies (BS230)
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Protein Bioinformatics (BS281)
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Research Project in Life Sciences (BS832)
Current supervision
Publications
Journal articles (29)
van Wonderen, JH., Crack, JC., Edwards, MJ., Clarke, TA., Saalbach, G., Martins, C. and Butt, JN., (2024). Liquid-chromatography mass spectrometry describes post-translational modification of Shewanella outer membrane proteins. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Biomembranes. 1866 (1), 184221-184221
Lockwood, CWJ., Nash, BW., Newton-Payne, SE., van Wonderen, JH., Whiting, KPS., Connolly, A., Sutton-Cook, AL., Crook, A., Aithal, AR., Edwards, MJ., Clarke, TA., Sachdeva, A. and Butt, JN., (2024). Genetic Code Expansion in Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 Allows Site-Specific Incorporation of Bioorthogonal Functional Groups into a c-Type Cytochrome. ACS Synthetic Biology. 13 (9), 2833-2843
Nash, BW., Fernandes, TM., Burton, JAJ., Morgado, L., van Wonderen, JH., Svistunenko, DA., Edwards, MJ., Salgueiro, CA., Butt, JN. and Clarke, TA., (2024). Tethered heme domains in a triheme cytochrome allow for increased electron transport distances. Protein Science. 33 (11), e5200-
Norman, MP., Edwards, MJ., White, GF., Burton, JAJ., Butt, JN., Richardson, DJ., Louro, RO., Paquete, CM. and Clarke, TA., (2023). A Cysteine Pair Controls Flavin Reduction by Extracellular Cytochromes during Anoxic/Oxic Environmental Transitions. mBio. 14 (1), e0258922-
Pimenta, AI., Paquete, CM., Morgado, L., Edwards, MJ., Clarke, TA., Salgueiro, CA., Pereira, IAC. and Duarte, AG., (2023). Characterization of the inner membrane cytochrome ImcH from Geobacter reveals its importance for extracellular electron transfer and energy conservation.. Protein Science. 32 (11), e4796-
Piper, SEH., Edwards, MJ., van Wonderen, JH., Casadevall, C., Martel, A., Jeuken, LJC., Reisner, E., Clarke, TA. and Butt, JN., (2021). Bespoke Biomolecular Wires for Transmembrane Electron Transfer: Spontaneous Assembly of a Functionalized Multiheme Electron Conduit. Frontiers in Microbiology. 12, 714508-
Van Wonderen, J., Adamczyk, K., Wu, X., Jiang, X., Piper, S., Hall, C., Edwards, M., Clarke, T., Zhang, H., Jeuken, L., Sazanovich, I., Towrie, M., Blumberger, J., Meech, S. and Butt, J., (2021). Nanosecond Heme-to-Heme Electron Transfer Rates in a Multiheme Cytochrome Nanowire Reported by a Spectrally Unique His/Met Ligated Heme. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of USA. 118 (39), e2107939118-
Clarke, TA. and Edwards, MJ., (2020). Uncovering nature’s electronics. Nature Chemical Biology. 16 (10), 1041-1042
Li, D-B., Edwards, MJ., Blake, AW., Newton-Payne, SE., Piper, SEH., Jenner, LP., Sokol, KP., Reisner, E., Van Wonderen, JH., Clarke, TA. and Butt, JN., (2020). His/Met heme ligation in the PioA outer membrane cytochrome enabling light-driven extracellular electron transfer by Rhodopseudomonas palustris TIE-1. Nanotechnology. 31 (35), 354002-354002
Edwards, MJ., Richardson, DJ., Paquete, CM. and Clarke, TA., (2020). Role of multiheme cytochromes involved in extracellular anaerobic respiration in bacteria. Protein Science. 29 (4), 830-842
Edwards, MJ., White, GF., Butt, JN., Richardson, DJ. and Clarke, TA., (2020). The Crystal Structure of a Biological Insulated Transmembrane Molecular Wire. Cell. 181 (3), 665-673.e10
Jiang, X., van Wonderen, JH., Butt, JN., Edwards, MJ., Clarke, TA. and Blumberger, J., (2020). Which Multi-Heme Protein Complex Transfers Electrons More Efficiently? Comparing MtrCAB from Shewanella with OmcS from Geobacter. Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters. 11 (21), 9421-9425
Edwards, MJ., White, GF., Lockwood, CW., Lawes, MC., Martel, A., Harris, G., Scott, DJ., Richardson, DJ., Butt, JN. and Clarke, TA., (2018). Structural modeling of an outer membrane electron conduit from a metal-reducing bacterium suggests electron transfer via periplasmic redox partners. Journal of Biological Chemistry. 293 (21), 8103-8112
Edwards, MJ., Gates, AJ., Butt, JN., Richardson, DJ. and Clarke, TA., (2017). Comparative structure-potentio-spectroscopy of the Shewanella outer membrane multiheme cytochromes. Current Opinion in Electrochemistry. 4 (1), 199-205
Edwards, MJ., White, GF., Norman, M., Tome-Fernandez, A., Ainsworth, E., Shi, L., Fredrickson, JK., Zachara, JM., Butt, JN., Richardson, DJ. and others, (2015). Redox linked flavin sites in extracellular decaheme proteins involved in microbe-mineral electron transfer.. Scientific reports. 5 (1), 11677-11677
Beckwith, CR., Edwards, MJ., Lawes, M., Shi, L., Butt, JN., Richardson, DJ. and Clarke, TA., (2015). Characterization of MtoD from Sideroxydans lithotrophicus: a cytochrome c electron shuttle used in lithoautotrophic growth. Frontiers in microbiology. 6, 332-332
Liu, Y., Wang, Z., Liu, J., Levar, C., Edwards, MJ., Babauta, JT., Kennedy, DW., Shi, Z., Beyenal, H., Bond, DR. and others, (2014). A trans-outer membrane porin-cytochrome protein complex for extracellular electron transfer by G eobacter sulfurreducens PCA. Environmental microbiology reports. 6 (6), 776-785
Edwards, MJ., Baiden, NA., Johs, A., Tomanicek, SJ., Liang, L., Shi, L., Fredrickson, JK., Zachara, JM., Gates, AJ., Butt, JN. and others, (2014). The X-ray crystal structure of Shewanella oneidensis OmcA reveals new insight at the microbe–mineral interface. FEBS letters. 588 (10), 1886-1890
Hearnshaw, SJ., Edwards, MJ., Stevenson, CE., Lawson, DM. and Maxwell, A., (2014). A new crystal structure of the bifunctional antibiotic simocyclinone D8 bound to DNA gyrase gives fresh insight into the mechanism of inhibition. Journal of molecular biology. 426 (10), 2023-2033
Richardson, DJ., Butt, JN., Fredrickson, JK., Zachara, JM., Shi, L., Edwards, MJ., White, G., Baiden, N., Gates, AJ., Marritt, SJ. and others, (2012). The �porin–cytochrome�model for microbe-to-mineral electron transfer. Molecular microbiology. 85, 201-212
Liu, J., Wang, Z., Belchik, SM., Edwards, MJ., Liu, C., Kennedy, DW., Merkley, ED., Lipton, MS., Butt, JN., Richardson, DJ. and others, (2012). Identification and characterization of MtoA: a decaheme c-type cytochrome of the neutrophilic Fe (II)-oxidizing bacterium Sideroxydans lithotrophicus ES-1. Frontiers in microbiology. 3, 37-37
Edwards, MJ., Hall, A., Shi, L., Fredrickson, JK., Zachara, JM., Butt, JN., Richardson, DJ. and Clarke, TA., (2012). The crystal structure of the extracellular 11-heme cytochrome UndA reveals a conserved 10-heme motif and defined binding site for soluble iron chelates. Structure. 20 (7), 1275-1284
Edwards, MJ., Fredrickson, JK., Zachara, JM., Richardson, DJ. and Clarke, TA., (2012). Analysis of structural MtrC models based on homology with the crystal structure of MtrF. Biochemical Society Transactions. 40 (6), 1181-1185
Breuer, M., Zarzycki, P., Shi, L., Clarke, TA., Edwards, MJ., Butt, JN., Richardson, DJ., Fredrickson, JK., Zachara, JM., Blumberger, J. and others, (2012). Molecular structure and free energy landscape for electron transport in the decahaem cytochrome MtrF. Biochemical Society Transactions. 40 (6), 1198-1203
Richardson, DJ., Butt, JN., Fredrickson, JK., Zachara, JM., Shi, L., Edwards, MJ., White, G., Baiden, N., Gates, AJ., Marritt, SJ. and Clarke, TA., (2012). The ‘porin–cytochrome’ model for microbe‐to‐mineral electron transfer. Molecular Microbiology. 85 (2), 201-212
Clarke, TA., Edwards, MJ., Gates, AJ., Hall, A., White, GF., Bradley, J., Reardon, CL., Shi, L., Beliaev, AS., Marshall, MJ. and others, (2011). Structure of a bacterial cell surface decaheme electron conduit. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 108 (23), 9384-9389
Edwards, MJ., Williams, MA., Maxwell, A. and McKay, AR., (2011). Mass spectrometry reveals that the antibiotic simocyclinone D8 binds to DNA gyrase in a �bent-over� conformation: evidence of positive cooperativity in binding. Biochemistry. 50 (17), 3432-3440
Edwards, MJ., Flatman, RH., Mitchenall, LA., Stevenson, CEM., Le, TBK., Clarke, TA., McKay, AR., Fiedler, H-P., Buttner, MJ., Lawson, DM. and others, (2009). A crystal structure of the bifunctional antibiotic simocyclinone D8, bound to DNA gyrase. Science. 326 (5958), 1415-1418
Edwards, MJ., Flatman, RH., Mitchenall, LA., Stevenson, CEM., Maxwell, A. and Lawson, DM., (2009). Crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of a complex formed between the antibiotic simocyclinone D8 and the DNA breakage–reunion domain of Escherichia coli DNA gyrase. Acta Crystallographica Section F: Structural Biology and Crystallization Communications. 65 (8), 846-848
Book chapters (2)
Lockwood, CWJ., van Wonderen, JH., Edwards, MJ., Piper, SEH., White, GF., Newton-Payne, S., Richardson, DJ., Clarke, TA. and Butt, JN., (2018). Membrane-spanning electron transfer proteins from electrogenic bacteria: Production and investigation. In: Methods in Enzymology. Academic Press. 257- 275
White, GF., Edwards, MJ., Gomez-Perez, L., Richardson, DJ., Butt, JN. and Clarke, TA., (2016). Mechanisms of bacterial extracellular electron exchange. In: Advances in microbial physiology. Academic Press. 87- 138. 9780128048238
Conferences (4)
Clarke, TA., Butt, JN., Richardson, DJ., Burton, J. and Edwards, MJ., (2022). Extracellular electron transfer via Electron Conduits in Gram Negative Bacteria
Morales-Florez, A., Edwards, M., Butt, J. and Clarke, T., (2022). Controlling the rate of extracellular electron transfer in Shewanella oneidensis
Burton, JAJ., Edwards, MJ., Butt, JN., Richardson, DJ. and Clarke, TA., (2022). Characterization of Outer Membrane Cytochromes from Geobacter sulfurreducens
Nash, BW., Edwards, MJ., Butt, JN. and Clarke, TA., (2022). Characterisation of PgcA, a novel respiratory mineral reductase from Geobacter sulfurreducens
Other (1)
Richardson, DJ., Edwards, MJ., White, GF., Baiden, N., Hartshorne, RS., Fredrickson, J., Shi, L., Zachara, J., Gates, AJ., Butt, JN. and others, (2012).Exploring the biochemistry at the extracellular redox frontier of bacterial mineral Fe (III) respiration,Portland Press Ltd.
Grants and funding
2023
Tuning extracellular cytochromes for enhanced metal recovery and nanoparticle formation
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
TRICSS - a multi-user high-throughput platform to quantify biological interactions in solution
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
Engineering Anaerobic Bacteria for Biotechnology
The Royal Society
TRICSS - a multi-user high-throughput platform to quantify biological interactions in solution
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
2022
BEORHN: Biological Enzymatic Oxidation of Reactive Hydroxylamine in Nitrification via Combined Structural Biology and Molecular Simulation
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
