Prof Garry Taylor

Professor

Researcher profile

Phone

+44 (0)1334 467301

Email

glt2@st-andrews.ac.uk

Research areas

We are using molecular, cellular and structural biology to understand the structure and function of proteins involved in pathogenesis with a view to developing new drugs against a range of disease caused by microorganisms. The sialidase (or neuraminidase) superfamily are virulence factors in influenza, parainfluenza, cholera and pneumonia. Our structural studies on the paramyxovirus hemagglutinin-neuraminidase (HN) has led to the structure-based development of a new drug that is a potential treatment for childhood parainfleunza. We are currently studying the sialidases from Streptococcus pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and developing inhibitors against these enzymes that are key virulence facotrs in the respiratory diseases caused by these bacteria.

More recently, we have engineered mutlivalent forms of a couple of carbohydrate-binding modules specific for sialic acid, a key component of the receptor used by the influenza virus, parainfluenza virus, some coronaviruses and pneumococci. Experients in mice using lethal viral challenges show that these mutlivalent bioloigcs have great potential as a prophylactic for the prevention of certain respiratory diseases.

Selected publications

• Unravelling the specificity and mechanism of sialic acid recognition by the gut symbiont Ruminococcus gnavus

  Owen, C. D., Tailford, L. E., Monaco, S., ?uligoj, T., Vaux, L., Lallement, R., Khedri, Z., Yu, H., Lecointe, K., Walshaw, J., Tribolo, S., Horrex, M., Bell, A., Chen, X., Taylor, G. L., Varki, A., Angulo, J. & Juge, N., 19 Dec 2017, In : Nature Communications. 8, p. 1-15 15 p., 2196.

  Research output: Contribution to journal ? Article

• PRIMA-1^Met suppresses colorectal cancer independent of p53 by targeting MEK

  Lu, T., Zou, Y., Xu, G., Potter, J. A., Taylor, G. L., Duan, Q., Yang, Q., Xiong, H., Qiu, H., Ye, D., Zhang, P., Yu, S., Yuan, X., Zhu, F., Wang, Y. & Xiong, H., 27 Oct 2016, In : Oncotarget. 7, 50, p. 83017-83030 14 p.

  Research output: Contribution to journal ? Article

• Streptococcus pneumoniae NanC. Structural insights into the specificity and mechanism of a sialidase that produces a sialidase inhibitor

  Owen, C. D., Lukacik, P., Potter, J. A., Sleator, O., Taylor, G. L. & Walsh, M. A., 13 Nov 2015, In : Journal of Biological Chemistry. 290, 46, p. 27736-27748 13 p.

  Research output: Contribution to journal ? Article

• Discovery of intramolecular trans-sialidases in human gut microbiota suggests novel mechanisms of mucosal adaptation

  Tailford, L. E., Owen, C. D., Walshaw, J., Crost, E. H., Hardy-Goddard, J., Le Gall, G., de Vos, W. M., Taylor, G. L. & Juge, N., 8 Jul 2015, In : Nature Communications. 6, 12 p., 7624.

  Research output: Contribution to journal ? Article

• Immunomodulatory Compounds

  Taylor, G. L. & Connaris, H., 30 Jul 2015, IPC No. A61K31/74, Patent No. WO2015110831 (A1)

  Research output: Patent

• Sialic acid-binding protein Sp2CBMTD protects mice against lethal challenge with emerging influenza A (H7N9) virus

  Govorkova, E. A., Baranovich, T., Marathe, B. M., Yang, L., Taylor, M. A., Webster, R. G., Taylor, G. L. & Connaris, H., Mar 2015, In : Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. 59, 3, p. 1495-1504 10 p.

  Research output: Contribution to journal ? Article

• Structural characterization of the carbohydrate-binding module of NanA sialidase, a pneumococcal virulence factor

  Yang, L., Connaris, H., Potter, J. A. & Taylor, G. L., 20 Aug 2015, In : BMC Structural Biology. 15, 10 p., 15.

  Research output: Contribution to journal ? Article

• Prevention of influenza by targeting host receptors using engineered proteins

  Connaris, H., Govorkova, E. A., Ligertwood, Y., Dutia, B. M., Yang, L., Tauber, S., Taylor, M. A., Alias, N., Hagan, R., Nash, A. A., Webster, R. G. & Taylor, G. L., 29 Apr 2014, In : Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 111, 17, p. 6401-6406

  Research output: Contribution to journal ? Article

• Kinetic and structural evaluation of selected active site mutants of the Aspergillus fumigatus KDNase (sialidase)

  Yeung, J. H. F., Telford, J. C., Shidmoossavee, F. S., Bennet, A. J., Taylor, G. L. & Moore, M. M., 23 Dec 2013, In : Biochemistry. 52, 51, p. 9177-86 10 p.

  Research output: Contribution to journal ? Article

• Synthesis and structural characterisation of selective non-carbohydrate-based inhibitors of bacterial sialidases

  Brear, P., Telford, J. C., Taylor, G. L. & Westwood, N. J., 2012, In : ChemBioChem. 13, 16, p. 2374-2383

  Research output: Contribution to journal ? Article

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