Professor Simon Foster

School of Biosciences

Professor of Molecular Microbiology

West Riding Chair in Microbiology

Simon Foster
Profile picture of Simon Foster
s.foster@sheffield.ac.uk
+44 114 222 4411

Full contact details

Professor Simon Foster
School of Biosciences
Firth Court
Western Bank
Sheffield
S10 2TN
Profile

Career history

  • 2020 - present: West Riding Chair in Microbiology
  • 2017 - present: Faculty Director Research and Innovation, University of Sheffield
  • 2008 - 2017: Director Krebs Institute, University of Sheffield
  • 1999 - present: Professor of Molecular Microbiology, University of Sheffield
  • 1993 - 2002: Royal Society University Research Fellow, University of Sheffield
  • 1990 - 1993: J.G. Graves Medical Research Fellow, University of Sheffield
  • 1986 - 1990: Broodbank Fellow, University of Cambridge
  • 1984 - 1986: PhD, University of Cambridge
  • 1983 - 1984: PhD, University of Leeds
Research interests

Bacterial cell wall architecture and dynamics

The cell wall is essential for bacterial life and its synthesis is the target of crucial antibiotics such as penicillin and vancomycin. We determine the structure and function of the cell wall to elucidate not only how it permits cell growth but also how antibiotics lead to death. We use the infamous “super bug” Staphylococcus aureus as our target organism to address key fundamental questions of bacterial life and death.

S.aureus cell wall synthesis
S. aureus cell wall synthesis at the molecular level: Pattern of cell wall peptidoglycan synthesis as revealed by fluorescent amino acid labelling and super-resolution microscopy (Stochastic Optical Reconstruction Microscopy; STORM) . Bar 0.5μm.

Our primary goals are to:

  • determine the molecular structure of the cell wall and how it changes during growth, at a resolution never previously achieved in any organism, using our world-leading microscopy approaches.
  • use this information to then establish how the cell wall acts as the interface between a cell and its environment.
  • bring together our findings to establish the basic mechanisms underpinning growth, the action of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance across bacteria.

Staphylococcus aureus disease

S. aureus is a major human pathogen of increasing importance due to the spread of antibiotic resistance. Our research spans from the fundamental through to translational approaches to develop new control regimes. We use a range of models to investigate host:pathogen interaction.

Our primary goals are to:

  • elucidate S. aureus infection dynamics to determine how this organism is able to cause disease.
  • investigate the cellular and molecular mechanisms of infection from both the host and pathogen perspective.
  • use this information to better inform vaccine development and the use of antibiotics to treat infection.

Research Keywords

Microbiology, Staphylococcus aureus, pathogenicity, cell wall structure


Publications

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Journal articles

All publications

Journal articles

Chapters

Conference proceedings papers

  • Uhlig F, Grundy L, Castro J, Brierley SM, Foster SJ & Grundy D (2018) Identification of modulators of intestinal nerve activity from Staphylococcus aureus. NEUROGASTROENTEROLOGY AND MOTILITY, Vol. 30 RIS download Bibtex download
  • Hobbs JK, Burns JM, Turner RD, Bailey RG, Kumar S, Tank RK, Mullin N & Foster SJ (2017) Cell wall architecture and the development of cell shape in S. aureus and E. coli. EUROPEAN BIOPHYSICS JOURNAL WITH BIOPHYSICS LETTERS, Vol. 46 (pp S100-S100) View this article in WRRO RIS download Bibtex download
  • Burns JM, Bailey RG, Kumar S, Turner RD, Mullin N, Foster SJ & Hobbs JK (2017) High resolution atomic force microscopy of living S. aureus bacterial cell wall. EUROPEAN BIOPHYSICS JOURNAL WITH BIOPHYSICS LETTERS, Vol. 46 (pp S291-S291) RIS download Bibtex download
  • Kumar S, Mullin N, Cartron ML, Leggett GJ, Foster SJ, Hunter CN & Hobbs JK (2017) High-resolution Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) imaging of native biological membrane systems. EUROPEAN BIOPHYSICS JOURNAL WITH BIOPHYSICS LETTERS, Vol. 46 (pp S368-S368) RIS download Bibtex download
  • Lemonche LP, Kumar S, Turner RD, Burns JM, Mullin N, Tank RK, Owen DS, Foster SJ & Hobbs JK (2017) Death or alive? Correlating the cell wall structure of sacculi and living bacteria using AFM. EUROPEAN BIOPHYSICS JOURNAL WITH BIOPHYSICS LETTERS, Vol. 46 (pp S295-S295) RIS download Bibtex download
  • Dickinson RS, Thompson AAR, Thomson JP, Murphy F, Marriott HM, Tavares A, Willson J, Williams L, Lewis A, Forbes S , Stimson RH et al (2016) S104 Hypoxia preconditions the innate immune response to acute bacterial pulmonary infections. Thorax, Vol. 71(Suppl 3) (pp A61.2-A62) RIS download Bibtex download
  • Johnson E, Wagner N, Williams A, Prajsnar T, Renshaw S & Foster S (2015) Co-operation during Staphylococcus aureus pathogenesis. Journal of Infection, Vol. 71(6) (pp 684-684) RIS download Bibtex download
  • Walther CG, Vahldieck M, Robinson D & Foster S (2015) New green emitting fluorochromes for Fluorescence Microscopy, specifically Structured Illumination Microscopy. Microscopy Microscience Congress 2015 (MMC 2015) (pp P2608-P2608). Manchester, 29 June 2015 - 2 July 2015. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Thompson AAR, Marriott HM, Williams L, Shaw G, Hameed A, Parmar S, Preston JA, Simon MC, Johnson RS, Foster SJ , Dockrell DH et al (2013) HYPOXIA INDUCES HYPOTHERMIA AND SICKNESS BEHAVIOUR IN MICE FOLLOWING SUBCUTANEOUS INJECTION OF LIVE STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS. THORAX, Vol. 68 (pp A140-A140) RIS download Bibtex download
  • Bleiziffer I, Pohlentz G, McAulay K, Xia G, Hussain M, Peschel A, Foster SJ, Peters G & Heilmann C (2013) At least four glycosyltransferases are involved in the glycosylation of the plasmin-sensitive protein Pls in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MEDICAL MICROBIOLOGY, Vol. 303 (pp 57-57) RIS download Bibtex download
  • Anwar S, Sabroe I, Foster SJ & Whyte MK (2009) SUBVERSION OF NEUTROPHIL APOPTOSIS BY STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS: CONSEQUENCES FOR BACTERIAL PATHOGENESIS AND HOST DEFENCE. THORAX, Vol. 64 (pp A36-A36) RIS download Bibtex download
  • Anwar S, Prince LR, Sabroe I, Foster SJ & Whyte MK (2007) Subversion of neutrophil apoptosis by Staphylococcus aureus. THORAX, Vol. 62 (pp A114-A115) RIS download Bibtex download
  • Ruud TE, Gundersen Y, Wang JE, Foster SJ, Thiemermann C & Aasen AO (2006) Systemic petidoglycan (PegG) stimulates proinflammatory responses in synergy with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in an in vivo and in vitro porcine model.. SHOCK, Vol. 26 (pp 32-32) RIS download Bibtex download
  • Wang YY, Myhre AE, Foster SJ, Thiermann C, Bjornland K, Aasen AO & Wang JE (2005) Peptidoglycan of S aureus induced the release of MMP-9 in human blood by degranulation of neutrophils.. SHOCK, Vol. 23 (pp 76-77) RIS download Bibtex download
  • Agren J, Foster SJ, Thiemermann C, Wang JE & Aasen AO (2005) Synthetic CpG- and GpC oligonucleotides enhance the TNF alpha release induced by peptidoglycan but not by lipopolysaccharide.. SHOCK, Vol. 23 (pp 22-22) RIS download Bibtex download
  • Tarkowski A, Verdrengh M, Jonsson IM, Magnusson M, Foster SJ & Liu ZQ (2005) Carbohydrates and biology of staphylococcal infections. GLYCOBIOLOGY AND MEDICINE, Vol. 564 (pp 115-116) RIS download Bibtex download
  • Hadley JS, Wang JE, Foster SJ, Thiemermann C & Hinds CJ (2004) Monocyte cell surface receptor upregulation in response to stimulation with lipopolysaccharide and peptidoglycan. SHOCK, Vol. 21 (pp 21-21) RIS download Bibtex download
  • Hadley JS, Wang JE, Foster SJ, Thiemermann C & Hinds CJ (2004) Cytokine responses to combined administration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and peptidoglycan (PepG). SHOCK, Vol. 21 (pp 50-50) RIS download Bibtex download
  • Atrih A & Foster SJ (2002) Bacterial endospores the ultimate survivors. INTERNATIONAL DAIRY JOURNAL, Vol. 12(2-3) (pp 217-223) RIS download Bibtex download
  • FOSTER SJ (1994) THE ROLE AND REGULATION OF CELL-WALL STRUCTURAL DYNAMICS DURING DIFFERENTIATION OF ENDOSPORE-FORMING BACTERIA. JOURNAL OF APPLIED BACTERIOLOGY, Vol. 76 (pp S25-S39) RIS download Bibtex download

Posters

  • Pasquina Lemonche L, Burns J, Turner R, Foster S & Hobbs J (2019) Molecular Resolution of Gram Positive Bacteria Cell Wall using AFM. RIS download Bibtex download

Datasets

Preprints

Research group

Host-pathogen interactions and antimicrobial resistance

Teaching activities
  • MBB323 Microbial Structure and Dynamics: Genes and Populations (Module Coordinator)
  • MBB335 Bacterial Pathogenicity