My current research focuses on better understanding mechanisms of bacterial motility, specifically how bacteria sense their environment, and remodel their motility accordingly. This response comes from control of the motor, which drives flagellar rotation. My main focus is in better understanding the role of two proteins important in the function of this motor. The first, FliL, is critical for swarming (a surfaced based mode of motility) and functions to maximize motor output while the second, YcgR, is mediated by the secondary messenger c-di-GMP and acts as a breaking mechanism to halt motility.

My previous research undertaken at The University of Texas at Dallas involved the study of the nitric-oxide sensitive transcriptional regulator NsrR. Prior to this I gained my PhD at The University of Sheffield (UK), where I further elucidated the regulon of the oxygen sensitive response-regulator FNR, and how the protein coordinated the adaption of E. coli to different growth conditions.

• Partridge, J.D. Surveying a Swarm: Experimental Techniques to Establish and Examine Bacterial Collective Motion. (2021). Appl. Environ. Microbiol. doi: 10.1128/AEM.01853-21

• Partridge, J.D., Nhu, N.T.Q., Dufour, Y. and Harshey, R.M. Tumble Suppression is a Conserved Feature of Swarming Motility. (2020). mBio. doi: 10.1128/mBio.01189-20

• Partridge, J.D. and Harshey, R.M. Investigating Flagella-Driven Motility in Escherichia coli by Applying Three Established Techniques in a series. (2020). J. Vis. Exp. doi: 10.3791/61364.

• Mengucci, F., Dardis, C., Mongiardini, E.J., Althabegoti, M.J., Partridge, J.D., Kojima, S., Homma, M., Quelas, J.I. and Lodeiro, A.R. Characterization of FliL Proteins in Bradyrhizobium diazoefficiens: Lateral FliL Supports Swimming Motility, and Subpolar FliL Modulates the Lateral Flagellar System. (2020). J. Bacteriol. doi: 10.1128/JB.00708-19

• Nieto, V., Partridge, J.D., Severin, G., Lai, R.Z., Waters, C., Parkinson, J.S., Harshey, R.M. Under elevated c-di-GMP in E. coli, YcgR alters flagellar motor bias and speed sequentially, with additional negative control of the flagellar regulon via the adaptor protein RssB. (2019). J. Bacteriol. doi: 10.1128/JB.00578-19 *Co-first author/co-corresponding author

• Partridge, J.D., Nhu, N.T.Q., Dufour, Y.S., and Harshey, R.M. (2019). Escherichia coli remodels the chemotaxis pathway for swarming. mBio. March, 2019

 • Partridge, J.D., Ariel, G., Schvartz, O., Harshey, R.M. and Be’er, A. (2018). 3D Architecture of a Bacterial Swarm. Sci. Rep. Oct. 2018

• Ariel, G., Rabani, A., Benisty, S., Partridge, J.D., Harshey, R.M. and Be’er, A. (2015). Swarming Bacteria Migrate by Lévy-Walk. Nature. Comm. Sept. 2015

• Harshey, R.M. and Partridge, J.D. (2015). Surviving in a Swarm. J. Mol. Biol. Aug. 2015

• Partridge, J.D., Nieto, V. and Harshey, R.M. (2015). A new player at the flagellar motor: FliL controls both motor output and bias. M.Bio. Feb 24;6(2). Doi: 10.1128/mbio.02367-14

• Partridge, J.D. and Harshey, R. (2013). More than motility: Salmonella flagella contribute to overriding surface friction and facilitate colony hydration during swarming. J. Bacteriol. 195:919-929 *Selected as a journal highlight by the American Society of Microbiology, Microbe Magazine, Feb. 2013

• Partridge, J.D. and Harshey, R. (2013). Swarming: flexible roaming plans. J. Bacteriol. 195:909-918

• Lacey, M.M., Partridge, J.D. and Green, J. (2010). Escherichia coli K-12 YfgF is an anaerobic cyclic di-GMP phosphodiesterase with roles in cell surface re-modelling and the oxidative stress response. Microbiol. 156:2873-2886

• Partridge, J. D., Bodenmiller, D. M., Humphrys, M. and Spiro, S. (2009). NsrR targets in the Escherichia coli genome: new insights into DNA sequence requirements for binding and a role for NsrR in the regulation of motility. Mol. Microbiol. 73:680-94

• Rankin, L. D., Bodenmiller, D. M., Partridge, J. D., Nishino, S. F., Spain, J. C. and Spiro, S. (2008). Escherichia coli NsrR regulates a pathway for the oxidation of 3-nitrotyramine to 4-hydroxy-3-nitrophenylacetate. J. Bacteriol. 190: 6170-6177

• Partridge, J. D., Browning, D. F., Xu, M., Newnham, L. J., Scott, C., Poole, R. K. and Green, J. (2008). Characterization of the Escherichia coli K-12 ydhYVWXUT operon: regulation by FNR, NarL and NarP. Microbiology 154: 608-618

• Partridge, J.D., Poole, R.K. and Green, J. (2007). The Escherichia coli yhjA gene, encoding a predicted cytochrome c peroxidise, is regulated by FNR and OxyR. Microbiology 153: 1499-1507

• Partridge, J.D., Sanguinetti, G., Dibden, D,. Roberts, R.E., Poole, R.K. and Green, J. (2007). Transition of Escherichia coli from aerobic to micro-aerobic conditions involves fast and slow reacting regulatory pathways. J. Biol. Chem. 282: 11230-11237

• Partridge, J. D., Scott, C., Tang, Y., Poole, R. K. and Green, J. (2006). Escherichia coli transcriptome dynamics during the transition from anaerobic to aerobic conditions. J. Biol. Chem. 281: 27806-27815 * Faculty of 1000 Recommended Article.

• Scott, C., Partridge, J. D., Stephenson, J. R, and Green J. (2003). DNA target sequence and FNR-dependent gene expression. FEBS Letters 541: 97-101.

2022: Biology Instructional Office Teaching Excellence Award

2022: Students as Partners Award - UT Austin Center for Teaching and Learning

2015: The Robert M. MacNab Award – Bacterial Locomotion and Signal Transduction meeting

2004: Awarded the Sir Hans Krebs award for Molecular Sciences – The University of Sheffield

2001-2005: Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council Ph.D. scholarship award

 PRESENTED TALKS

• “Enhanced Motor Output is Critical for Swarming Success”. Conference on Collective Dynamics in Microorgansms and Cellular Systems, (Sede Boqer, Israel; May 2016)
• “The FliL protein increases flagellar motor output in Salmonella” at BLAST XII (Bacterial Locomotion And Signal Transduction), (Tucson, USA; January 2013) *Selected as a Conference highlight. Mol. Microbiol. 91:6-25
• “Regulation of coli motility by the nitric oxide transcriptional repressor NsrR” at BLAST X, (Cuernavaca, Mexico; January 2009) *Selected as a Conference highlight. Mol. Microbiol. 73:5-19
• “ coli transcriptome dynamics during the transition from anaerobic to aerobic growth”. Invited talk (J. Green) and poster (J. Partridge) at the Gordon Research Conference on Microbial Stress Responses (Mount Holyoke College, MA, U.S.A; July, 2006)
• “Characterization of coli yfgF: a cyclic-di-GMP phosphodiesterase?” At the 158^th Meeting of the Society for General Microbiology (invited talk) (Warwick, UK; April, 2006)

POSTER PRESENTATIONS

• “A new player at the flagellar motor: FliL controls both motor output and bias” at BLAST XIII, (Tucson, USA; January 2015)                         *Recipient of the Robert M. Macnab award.
• “c-di-GMP sensing at the flagella motor” at the Gordon Research Conference on Sensory Transduction in Microorganisms (Ventura Beach, LA, USA, January, 2014)
• “FliL interacts both physically and functionally with the flagellar stator proteins MotAB in Salmonella” at the Gordon Research Conference on Sensory Transduction in Microorganisms (Ventura Beach, USA, Jan. 2012)
• “ coli transcriptome dynamics during the transition from anaerobic to aerobic growth” and contributed to an oral presentation “Transcriptional profiling of bacterial responses to nitrosative, oxidative and metal stresses in a chemostat” Society for General Microbiology Meeting (York, UK, September, 2006)
• “Characterization of the coli ydhY-T operon: regulation by FNR and NarL/P transcription factors” at the European Federation of Biotechnology meeting on Microbial Respiratory Chains (Tomar, Portugal; March 2006)
• “Investigating the FNR-Modulon. A Post-Genomic Approach” at the Annual University of Sheffield Biological Sciences Symposium (Sheffield, UK; April, 2004) * Recipient of the Sir Hans Krebs Award
• “DNA target sequence and FNR-dependent gene expression” at the European Federation of Biotechnology meeting, Physiology, Biochemistry and Genetic Regulation of Electron Transfer in Bacteria (Walberberg, Germany; October 2003)

BIO311C - Introductory Biology I: Serves as a general introduction to biology at the molecular level. Broadly, in terms of macromolecules, cell structure and function, energy transformation and flow (including respiration and photosynthesis), and how genetic information is expressed, and passed from one generation to another.

BIO311D - Introductory Biology II: Serves as a general introduction to biology, covering diverse topics such as reproduction, inheritance, evolution, phylogeny, biodiversity, ecology, and experimental design.

BIO326R - General Microbiology: Overview of the major areas of microbiological study, including cell structure and function, genetics, host-microbe interactions, physiology, ecology, diversity, and virology.