Dr Ian Lidbury

School of Biosciences

Royal Society University Research Fellow

MMBD Comms Lead

i.lidbury@sheffield.ac.uk

Alfred Denny Building

Full contact details

Dr Ian Lidbury
School of Biosciences
Alfred Denny Building
Western Bank
Sheffield
S10 2TN

Profile

BBSRC Discovery Fellow, Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, UK (2020-present)
Researcher-CoI, School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, UK (2019-2020)
Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Environmental Microbiology , Life Sciences, University of Warwick, UK (2015-2019)

Qualifications

PhD in Marine Microbiology, Life Sciences, University of Warwick, UK (2011-2015)
MRes in Marine Microbiology, The Marine Biological Association of the UK & Plymouth University (2010-2011)

Research interests: Producing sufficient quantities of high-quality, nutritious food to meet the demands of a growing population will be a major challenge facing humanity over the next few decades. In addition, global emerging issues such as climate change and the phosphorus (P) crisis are compounding the problem of food security. In fact, finding sustainable alternatives to non-renewable chemical P fertilisers is now one of the great challenges facing global agriculture.

Root-associated bacteria form part of the plant-microbiome and are a critical component in maintaining crop health, either through disease suppression or enhanced nutrient acquisition. As a result, plants actively select for beneficial bacteria, as well as fungi, through the exudation of photosynthetically-fixed carbon (C) from their roots. Achieving sustainable agricultural production requires, in part, a fundamental understanding of both crop-microbe and microbe-microbe interactions and their effects on plant microbiome functioning.

In my lab we are investigating how soil and, in some cases, marine bacteria cycle both P and C. This involves using model microorganisms in the lab for genetic studies as well as assessing how and when these processes occur in the environment. We are also beginning to investigate how soil microbes degrade molecules (polysaccharides) associated with soil formation and how this process maybe affected by climate change.

Current projects/research areas:
1) Organic P cycling in plant-associated Flavobacteria.

2) Soil polysaccharide cycling using Bacteroidetes as the model.

3)Visualisation of in situ bacterial gene expression at the root:soil interface.

4) Application of meta 'omics technologies to investigate soil/rhizosphere diversity and function.

Publications

Journal articles

Torcello-Requena A, Murphy ARJ, Lidbury IDEA, Pitt FD, Stark R, Millard AD, Puxty RJ, Chen Y & Scanlan DJ (2024) A distinct, high-affinity, alkaline phosphatase facilitates occupation of P-depleted environments by marine picocyanobacteria. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 121(20).
Liu S, Zhang X, Wang H, Dungait JAJ, Pan J, Lidbury IDEA, Ma Z, Chen F & Tang Y (2024) Seven-year N and P inputs regulate soil microbial communities via bottom-up effects on carbon and nutrient supply and top-down effects on protist relative abundance. Forest Ecology and Management, 552, 121582-121582.
Alaman-Zarate MG, Rady BJ, Evans CA, Pian B, Greetham D, Marecos-Ortiz S, Dickman MJ, Lidbury IDEA, Lovering AL, Barstow BM & Mesnage S (2023) Unusual 1-3 peptidoglycan cross-links in Acetobacteraceae are made by L,D-transpeptidases with a catalytic domain distantly related to YkuD domains. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 105494-105494.
Zhu X-Y, Li Y, Xue C-X, Lidbury IDEA, Todd JD, Lea-Smith DJ, Tian J, Zhang X-H & Liu J (2023) Deep-sea Bacteroidetes from the Mariana Trench specialize in hemicellulose and pectin degradation typically associated with terrestrial systems. Microbiome, 11(1).
Westermann LM, Lidbury IDEA, Li C-Y, Wang N, Murphy ARJ, Aguilo Ferretjans MDM, Quareshy M, Shanmugan M, Torcello-Requena A, Silvano E , Zhang Y-Z et al (2023) Bacterial catabolism of membrane phospholipids links marine biogeochemical cycles. Science Advances, 9(17).
Muscatt G, Hilton S, Raguideau S, Teakle G, Lidbury IDEA, Wellington EMH, Quince C, Millard A, Bending GD & Jameson E (2022) Crop management shapes the diversity and activity of DNA and RNA viruses in the rhizosphere. Microbiome, 10(1).
Lidbury IDEA, Raguideau S, Borsetto C, Murphy ARJ, Bottrill A, Liu S, Stark R, Fraser T, Goodall A, Jones A , Bending GD et al (2022) Stimulation of distinct rhizosphere bacteria drives phosphorus and nitrogen mineralization in oilseed rape under field conditions. mSystems, 7(4).
Lidbury IDEA, Scanlan DJ, Murphy ARJ, Christie-Oleza JA, Aguilo-Ferretjans MM, Hitchcock A & Daniell TJ (2022) A widely distributed phosphate-insensitive phosphatase presents a route for rapid organophosphorus remineralization in the biosphere. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 119(5).
Murphy ARJ, Scanlan DJ, Chen Y, Adams NBP, Cadman WA, Bottrill A, Bending G, Hammond JP, Hitchcock A, Wellington EMH & Lidbury IDEA (2021) Transporter characterisation reveals aminoethylphosphonate mineralisation as a key step in the marine phosphorus redox cycle. Nature Communications, 12.
Jones RA, Shropshire H, Zhao C, Murphy A, Lidbury I, Wei T, Scanlan DJ & Chen Y (2021) Phosphorus stress induces the synthesis of novel glycolipids in Pseudomonas aeruginosa that confer protection against a last-resort antibiotic. ISME Journal. View this article in WRRO
Tang B-L, Yang J, Chen X-L, Wang P, Zhao H-L, Su H-N, Li C-Y, Yu Y, Zhong S, Wang L , Lidbury I et al (2020) A predator-prey interaction between a marine Pseudoalteromonas sp. and Gram-positive bacteria. Nature Communications, 11(1).
Lidbury IDEA, Borsetto C, Murphy ARJ, Bottrill A, Jones AME, Bending GD, Hammond JP, Chen Y, Wellington EMH & Scanlan DJ (2020) Niche-adaptation in plant-associated Bacteroidetes favours specialisation in organic phosphorus mineralisation. The ISME Journal. View this article in WRRO
Lidbury I, Mausz MA, Scanlan DJ & Chen Y (2017) Identification of dimethylamine monooxygenase in marine bacteria reveals a metabolic bottleneck in the methylated amine degradation pathway. The ISME Journal, 11(7), 1592-1601.
Lidbury IDEA, Fraser T, Murphy ARJ, Scanlan DJ, Bending GD, Jones AME, Moore JD, Goodall A, Tibbett M, Hammond JP & Wellington EMH (2017) The ‘known’ genetic potential for microbial communities to degrade organic phosphorus is reduced in low-pH soils. MicrobiologyOpen, 6(4), e00474-e00474.
Lidbury IDEA, Murphy ARJ, Scanlan DJ, Bending GD, Jones AME, Moore JD, Goodall A, Hammond JP & Wellington EMH (2016) Comparative genomic, proteomic and exoproteomic analyses of threePseudomonasstrains reveals novel insights into the phosphorus scavenging capabilities of soil bacteria. Environmental Microbiology, 18(10), 3535-3549.
Lidbury I, Kröber E, Zhang Z, Zhu Y, Murrell JC, Chen Y & Schäfer H (2016) A mechanism for bacterial transformation of dimethylsulfide to dimethylsulfoxide: a missing link in the marine organic sulfur cycle. Environmental Microbiology, 18(8), 2754-2766.
Lidbury I, Kimberley G, Scanlan DJ, Murrell JC & Chen Y (2015) Comparative genomics and mutagenesis analyses of choline metabolism in the marine R oseobacter clade. Environmental Microbiology, 17(12), 5048-5062.
Lidbury IDEA, Murrell JC & Chen Y (2015) Trimethylamine and trimethylamine N-oxide are supplementary energy sources for a marine heterotrophic bacterium: implications for marine carbon and nitrogen cycling. The ISME Journal, 9(3), 760-769.
Zhu Y, Jameson E, Parslow RA, Lidbury I, Fu T, Dafforn TR, Schäfer H & Chen Y (2014) Identification and characterization of trimethylamineN-oxide (TMAO) demethylase and TMAO permease inMethylocella silvestris BL2. Environmental Microbiology, 16(10), 3318-3330.
Lidbury I, Murrell JC & Chen Y (2014) Trimethylamine N-oxide metabolism by abundant marine heterotrophic bacteria. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(7), 2710-2715.
Lidbury I, Johnson V, Hall-Spencer JM, Munn CB & Cunliffe M (2012) Community-level response of coastal microbial biofilms to ocean acidification in a natural carbon dioxide vent ecosystem. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 64(5), 1063-1066.
Martin H, Rogers LA, Moushtaq L, Brindley AA, Forbes P, Quintion AR, Murphy ARJ, Hipperson H, Daniell TJ, Ndeh D , Amsbury S et al () Metabolism of hemicelluloses by root-associated Bacteroidota species. The ISME Journal.
Ughamba KT, Ndukwe JK, Lidbury IDEA, Nnaji ND, Eze CN, Aduba CC, Groenhof S, Chukwu KO, Anyanwu CU, Nwaiwu O & Anumudu CK () Trends in the Application of Phosphate-Solubilizing Microbes as Biofertilizers: Implications for Soil Improvement. Soil Systems, 9(1), 6-6.
Cao Y, Shen Z, Zhang N, Deng X, Thomashow LS, Lidbury I, Liu H, Li R, Shen Q & Kowalchuk GA () Phosphorus availability influences disease-suppressive soil microbiome through plant-microbe interactions. Microbiome, 12(1).
Li C-Y, Mausz MA, Murphy A, Zhang N, Chen X-L, Wang S-Y, Gao C, Aguilo-Ferretjans MM, Silvano E, Lidbury IDEA , Fu H-H et al () Ubiquitous occurrence of a dimethylsulfoniopropionate ABC transporter in abundant marine bacteria. The ISME Journal.
Murphy ARJ, Scanlan DJ, Chen Y, Bending GD, Hammond JP, Wellington EMH & Lidbury IDEA () 2‐aminoethylphosphonate utilisation in Pseudomonas putida BIRD ‐1 is controlled by multiple master regulators. Environmental Microbiology.
Rangama S, Lidbury IDEA, Holden JM, Borsetto C, Murphy ARJ, Hawkey PM & Wellington EMH () Mechanisms involved in the active secretion of CTX-M-15 β-lactamase by pathogenic E. coli ST131. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.
Lidbury IDEA, Murphy ARJ, Fraser TD, Bending GD, Jones AME, Moore JD, Goodall A, Tibbett M, Hammond JP, Scanlan DJ & Wellington EMH () Identification of extracellular glycerophosphodiesterases in Pseudomonas and their role in soil organic phosphorus remineralisation. Scientific Reports, 7(1).
Sergaki C, Lagunas B, Lidbury I, Gifford ML & Schäfer P () Challenges and Approaches in Microbiome Research: From Fundamental to Applied. Frontiers in Plant Science, 9.

Chapters

Lidbury IDEA, Hitchcock A, Groenhof SRM, Connolly AN & Moushtaq L (2024) New insights in bacterial organophosphorus cycling: From human pathogens to environmental bacteria, Advances in Microbial Physiology Elsevier
Lidbury I, Rogers L, Groenhof S, Hitchcock A & McKee L (2023) Emerging roles for soil Bacteroidetes in complex carbon and organic phosphorus cycling

Preprints

Smith RE, Christena RL, Michno BJ, Davis JL, Lidbury IDEA, Alaman-Zarate M, Stefanidi D, Maes E, Fisher H, Prajsnar TK & Mesnage S (2024) Enterococcal cell wall remodelling underpins pathogenesis via the release of the Enteroccocal Polysaccharide Antigen (EPA), Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
Martin H, Rogers LA, Moushtaq L, Brindley AA, Forbes P, Quintion AR, Murphy ARJ, Daniell TJ, Ndeh D, Amsbury S , Hitchcock A et al (2024) Hybrid xyloglucan utilisation loci are prevalent among plant-associated Bacteroidota, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
Alaman-Zarate MG, Rady BJ, Evans CA, Pian B, Greetham D, Marecos-Ortiz S, Dickman MJ, Lidbury IDEA, Lovering AL, Barstow BM & Mesnage S (2023) Unusual 1-3 peptidoglycan cross-links inAcetobacteraceaeare made by L,D-transpeptidases with a catalytic domain distantly related to YkuD domains, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
Muscatt G, Hilton S, Raguideau S, Teakle G, Lidbury IDEA, Wellington EMH, Quince C, Millard A, Bending GD & Jameson E () Crop management shapes the diversity and activity of DNA and RNA viruses in the rhizosphere, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
Lidbury IDEA, Raguideau S, Liu S, Murphy ARJ, Stark R, Borsetto C, Fraser T, Goodall A, Bottrill A, Jones A , Bending GD et al () Meta-exoproteomics identifies active plant-microbe interactions operating in the rhizosphere, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
Lidbury IDEA, Scanlan DJ, Murphy ARJ, Christie-Oleza JA, Aguilo-Ferretjans MM, Hitchcock A & Daniell T () A highly active phosphate-insensitive phosphatase is widely distributed in nature, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
Jones RA, Shropshire H, Zhao C, Murphy A, Lidbury I, Wei T, Scanlan DJ & Chen Y () Phosphorus stress induces the synthesis of novel glycolipids in Pseudomonas aeruginosa that confer protection against a last-resort antibiotic, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
Rangama S, Lidbury IDEA, Holden JM, Borsetto C, Murphy ARJ, Hawkey PM & Wellington EMH () Mechanisms involved in the active secretion of CTX-M-15 β-lactamase by pathogenic E. coli ST131, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
Murphy A, Scanlan D, Chen Y, Bottrill A, Bending G, Hammond J, Wellington E & Lidbury I () Aminophosphonate mineralisation is a major step in the global oceanic phosphorus redox cycle, Research Square Platform LLC.
Lidbury IDEA, Scanlan DJ, Murphy ARJ, Bottrill A, Jones A, Tibbett M, Bending G, Hammond JP & Wellington EMH () Novel mechanisms for phosphate acquisition in abundant rhizosphere-dwelling Bacteroidetes, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.

Research group

Senior research technician

Laila Moushtaq

PhD

Sophie Groenhof (BBSRC White Rose DTP student)
Alex Connolly (Royal Society funded)
Hannah Martin (UoS and Royal Society- Funded)

Masters

Danai Stefanidi (MBioSci)
Katie Oxley (MBioSci)
Matty Spratt (MBioSci)
Nurul Fadilah (MRes) LDPD-funded
William Cutforth (MBioSci)
Jonathan Mitchell (MBioSci)
Lucy Rogers (MBioSci)
Dylan Lewis (MBioSci)
William Cadman (MBioSci)

Alumni

Mary Jo Achkar (RS-funded summer placement)
Polly Forbes (SURE placement)
Rebecca Anfield (Rank Prize Fund summer placement)

Teaching activities

BIS304 - Microbial Genetics and Diversity
BIS356 - Topics in Environmental Microbiology

Professional activities and memberships: Member of the Microbiology Society