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Professor Peter Owen

Fellow Emeritus (Fellows Emeritii)

 powen@tcd.ie

 


Biography

Prof. Peter Owen graduated in Chemistry (1st Class) at Univ. Glasgow in 1968 and received Ph.D. in Microbiology from the same institution in 1972. This was followed by a four-year's postdoctorate at Dept. Microbiology, New York University Medical Center with Prof. Milton Salton studying structure and functional aspects of bacterial membranes. During that period he progressed from NATO Postdoctoral Fellow, to Assistant Research Scientist to Assistant Professor and was in part responsible for pioneering the use of 2-D immunoelectrophoretic techniques (crossed immunoelectrophoresis) to the analysis of bacterial membranes and to a study of their molecular architecture. In 1976 he obtained a lecturing position in the Dept. Microbiology, Trinity College Dublin and was subsequently promoted to Fellow of Trinity College (1980) and then to Associate Professor (1986-date). During this period he has maintained a research interest in the general area of bacterial surfaces, focusing on the structure of their membranes and the structure, function, vaccinogenic potential and role in virulence of selected surface components. Arguably some of the more significant contributions during this period include (i) establishing the molecular architecture of membrane vesicles from E. coli (Kabackosomes); (ii) biochemical and biophysical analyses of succinate dehydrogenases from E. coli and M. luteus; (iii) identification and analysis of a novel phase-variable outer membrane protein (antigen 43; Ag43) in E. coli; (iv) analysis and development of a human polyvalent vaccine against Pseudomonas aeruginosa; and (v) establishing the vaccinogenic potential, ligand-binding properties and role in virulence of a major protein (FgBP) present in the cell wall of the organism (Streptococcus equi) which causes equine strangles. Current research activities focus on characterization of haem uptake systems in S. equi and S. zooepidemicus. In 1990 Prof Owen received the Royal Irish Academy National Committee for Biochemistry Award Medal for Outstanding Biochemical Research in Ireland. He is married with two children.

Research Tags

  Infectious Diseases/Agents   Membrane Structure/Function   Molecular Biology   Proteins and Macromolecules   Structural Biology, Determination, Function   Vaccines

Memberships

Membership of Professional Institutions, Associations, Societies

Details Date From Date To
American Society for Microbiology (ASM) 1975 2005
Society for General Microbiology (SGM) 1973 2005
Mary Meehan, Melanie J. Lewis, Caroline Byrne, David O'Hare, Jenny M. Woof and Peter Owen, Localization of the equine IgG-binding domain in the fibrinogen-binding protein (FgBP) of Streptococcus equi subsp. equi, Microbiology, 155, (8), 2009, p2583 - 2592, Journal Article, PUBLISHED
Davidson, A., J. L. Traub-Dargatz, R. Magnuson, A. Hill, V. Irwin, R. Newton, A. Waller, K. Smith, R. J. Callan, M. Meehan, P. Owen, and M. Salman, Lack of correlation between antibody titers to fibrinogen-binding protein of Streptococcus equi and persistent carriers of strangles, Journal of Veterinary and Diagnostic Investigation, 20, 2008, p457 - 462, Journal Article, PUBLISHED
das Gracas de Luna, M., A. Scott-Tucker, M. Desvaux, P. Ferguson, N. P. Morin, E. G. Dudley, S. Turner, J. P. Nataro, P. Owen, and I. R. Henderson, The Escherichia coli biofilm-producing protein Antigen 43 does not contribute to intestinal colonization, FEMS Microbiology Letters, 284, 2008, p237 - 246, Journal Article, PUBLISHED
Lewis, M. J., M. Meehan, P. Owen, and J. M. Woof, A common theme in interaction of bacterial immunoglobulin-binding proteins with immunoglobulins illustrated in the equine system, Journal of Biological Chemistry, 283, (25), 2008, p17615 - 17623, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text  DOI
Meehan, M., S. M. Kelly, N. C. Price, and P. Owen, The C-terminal portion of the fibrinogen-binding protein of Streptococcus equi subsp. equi contains extensive alpha-helical coiled-coil structure and contributes to thermal stability, FEMS Microbiology Letters, 206, (1), 2002, p81 - 86, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  URL
Waldron, D. E., P. Owen, and C. J. Dorman, Competitive interaction of the OxyR DNA-binding protein and the Dam methylase at the antigen 43 gene regulatory region in Escherichia coli, Molecular Microbiology, 44, (2), 2002, p509 - 520, Journal Article, PUBLISHED
Meehan, M., Y. Lynagh, C. Woods, and P. Owen, The fibrinogen-binding protein (FgBP) of Streptococcus equi subsp. equi additionally binds IgG and contributes to virulence in a mouse model, Microbiology, 147, (12), 2001, p3311 - 3322, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  URL
Roche, A. J., J. P. McFadden, and P. Owen, Antigen 43, the major phase-variable protein of the Escherichia coli outer membrane, can exist as a family of proteins encoded by multiple alleles, Microbiology, 147, (1), 2001, p161 - 169, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  URL
Meehan, M., D. A. Muldowney, N. J. Watkins, and P. Owen, Localization and characterization of the ligand-binding domain of the fibrinogen-binding protein (FgBP) of Streptococcus equi subsp. equi, Microbiology, 146, (1), 2000, p1187 - 1194, Journal Article, PUBLISHED
Meehan, M., D. A. Muldowney, F. O'Meara, and P. Owen, Neither the A- nor B-repeat regions of the fibrinogen-binding protein of Streptococcus equi subsp. equi are essential for fibrinogen binding, FEMS Microbiology Letters, 190, (2), 2000, p317 - 321, Journal Article, PUBLISHED
  

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Roche, A. J., and P. Owen, Some Escherichia coli strains possess multiple copies of agn43 - the gene encoding a major phase variable outer membrane protein, 142nd Ordinary Meeting of the Society for General Microbiology, Warwick, UK, 1999, pp63 (P14) , Conference Paper, PUBLISHED
Meehan, M., D. Muldowney, and P. Owen, Localisation of the ligand-binding domain in the fibrinogen-binding protein from Streptococcus equi, 142nd Ordinary Meeting of the Society for General Microbiology, Warwick, UK, 1999, pp62 (P11) , Conference Paper, PUBLISHED
Roche, A. J., and P. Owen, In contrast to Escherichia coli K12, E. coli ML308-225 possesses two copies of agn43 - the gene encoding a major phase variable outer membrane protein, IUMS International Congress of Bacteriology and Applied Microbiology and Mycology, Sydney, Australia, 1999, pp56 (BP01.07) , Conference Paper, PUBLISHED
Meehan, M., P. Nowlan, and P. Owen, Characterisation of a protective, fibrinogen-binding protein from Streptococcus equi, Irish Branch Symposium for the Society for General Microbiology, Dublin, Ireland, 1998, pp13 , Conference Paper, PUBLISHED
Meehan, M., P. Nowlan, and P. Owen, A protective fibrinogen-binding protein of Streptococcus equi, 140th Ordinary Meeting of the Society for General Microbiology, Nottingham, UK, 1998, pp74 (P24) , Conference Paper, PUBLISHED
Henderson, I. R., and P. Owen, Phase variation of outer membrane proteins in Escherichia coli - evidence for transcriptional regulation by deoxyadenosine methylase and OxyR, 97th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology, Miami Beech, Florida, 1997, pp80 (B303) , Conference Paper, PUBLISHED
Owen, P., M. Meehan, H. Doherty, and I. Henderson, Phase-variable outer-membrane proteins in Escherichia coli, Irish Branch Meeting of the Society for General Microbiology, Galway, Ireland, 1996, pp1-2 , Conference Paper, PUBLISHED
Henderson, I., and P. Owen, Cloning and sequencing of the gene encoding a phase-variable outer membrane protein from Escherichia coli, Irish Branch Meeting of the Society for General Microbiology, Galway, Ireland, 1996, pp13 , Conference Paper, PUBLISHED
Henderson, I., and P. Owen, OxyR - a methylation blocking factor in Escherichia coli, Symposium of the Irish Brach of the Society for General Microbiology, Dublin, Ireland, 1996, pp12 , Conference Paper, PUBLISHED
Henderson, I. R., M. C. Meehan, and P. Owen, A novel regulatory mechanism for a novel phase-variable outer membrane protein of Escherichia coli, 1st International Rushmore Conference on "Mechanisms in the pathogenesis of enteric diseases" , Rapid City, S. Dakota, 1995, pp31 , Conference Paper, PUBLISHED

  

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Awards and Honours

Award Date
Fellow of Trinity College Dublin 1980
Royal Irish Academy Biochemistry Award Medal for Outstanding Biochemical Research In Ireland 1990

Research Interests

Description Of Research Interests

Current Research Interests include the following: (a) Investigation of the iron/haem uptake in the veterinary pathogens Streptococcus equi subspecies equi and Streptococcus equi subspecies zooepidemicus with emphasis on the role of haem uptake in virulence and the molecular characterization and protective potential of the various haem uptake components. (b) Molecular characterization of the fibrinogen-binding protein of the equine pathogen Streptococcus equi subspecies equi, its ligand-binding properties, role in virulence and vaccinogenic potential. (c) Functional analysis of Antigen 43 (Ag43), a major phase-variable surface antigen of enteropathogenic Escherichia coli.