Academic Staff

Dr Martin Cann

Researcher ID profile

Senior Lecturer in the School of Biological and Biomedical Sciences

Telephone: +44 (0) 191 33 43985

Fax: (+44) 191 334 1201

Visiting Lecturer in the Department of Chemistry

Member of the Biophysical Sciences Institute

Fellow of the Wolfson Research Institute for Health and Wellbeing

Contact Dr Martin Cann (email at m.j.cann@durham.ac.uk)

My laboratory is interested in a variety of signal transduction mechanisms mediated by nucleotides. We are based within the Department of Chemistry and work closely with physicists, chemists, and mathematicians on a number of research questions.

1. Carbon dioxide sensing. CO₂ is a critical constituent of all known biological systems yet its molecular interactions with the cell are relatively unexplored. Cells are exposed to fluctuating CO₂ through altered environmental conditions, changes in cell metabolism, and the effects of lifestyle and pathology. Our current work is directed toward understanding how CO₂ impacts on cell function through alterations in cellular levels of the second messenger molecule, cAMP. This work is supported by the Wellcome Trust and the Leverhulme Trust.

2. Resistance protein function. Plant resistance proteins trigger disease resistance in response to pathogen (avirulence) proteins. R-proteins typically consist of a nucleotide binding (NB) domain adjacent to one or more ARC domains and a Leucine Rich Repeat (LRR). The LRR is involved in pathogen sensing and is thought to transmit this signal, via the ARC domains, to the NB domain. The role of the NB domain is uncertain but is presumed to specify an ATPase. My laboratory is developing methodology for the expression of recombinant proteins corresponding to the key signalling domains of R-proteins and using these proteins to investigate the biochemistry of these key molecules of the plant immune system. This work is performed in collaboration with Professor Marc Knight (SBBS, DCCIT) and Dr Gary Sharples (SBBS, BSI) and is supported by the BBSRC.

3. Protein dynamics. We are interested in how protein thermal motion can contribute to function. In particular, we are investigating dynamics contributes to allostery in the Catabolite Activated Protein (CAP) of Escherichia coli. We using a combination of coarse grained modelling, atomic simulations, biochemistry, and structural biology to achieve these aims. This work is performed in collaboration with Prof Tom McLeish (Physics, BSI), Prof Mark Wilson (Chemistry, BSI), and Dr Ehmke Pohl (SBBS/Chemistry, BSI) and is supported by the EPSRC.

Research Groups

Biomolecular Interactions
Durham Centre for Crop Improvement Technology

Research Interests

Cell biology of bicarbonate and carbon dioxide
Cyclic nucleotide signaling
Signal transduction

Publications

Cann, MJ (2007). Sodium regulation of GAF domain function. Biochemical Society Transactions 35: 1032-1034.

Journal papers: academic

Fenyk, S, de San Eustaquio Campillo, A, Pohl, E, Hussey, PJ & Cann, MJ (2012). A Nucleotide Phosphatase Activity in the Nucleotide Binding Domain of an Orphan Resistance Protein from Rice. The Journal of Biological Chemistry 287(6): 4023-4032.
Topal, H, Fulcher, NB, Bitterman, J, Salazar, E, Buck, J, Levin, LR, Cann, MJ, Wolfgang, MC & Steegborn, C (2012). Crystal Structure and Regulation Mechanisms of the CyaB Adenylyl Cyclase from the Human Pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Journal of Molecular Biology 416(2): 271-286.
Cook, Z.C., Gray, M.A. & Cann, M.J. (2012). Elevated Carbon Dioxide Blunts Mammalian cAMP Signaling Dependent on Inositol 1,4,5-Triphosphate Receptor-mediated Ca2+ Release. Journal of Biological Chemistry 287(31): 26291-26301.
Fulcher, NB, Holliday, PM, Klem, E, Cann, MJ & Wolfgang, MC (2010). The Pseudomonas aeruginosa Chp chemosensory system regulates intracellular cAMP levels by modulating adenylate cyclase activity. Molecular Microbiology 76(4): 889-904.
Townsend, PD, Holliday, PM, Fenyk, S, Hess, KC, Gray, MA, Hodgson, DRW & Cann, MJ (2009). Stimulation of Mammalian G-protein-responsive Adenylyl Cyclases by Carbon Dioxide. Journal Of Biological Chemistry 284(2): 784-791.
Cann, M (2007). A subset of GAF domains are evolutionarily conserved sodium sensors. Molecular Microbiology 64(2): 461-472.
Williamson, D, Cann, MJ & Hodgson, DRW (2007). Synthesis of 5 '-amino-5 '-deoxyguanosine-5 '-N-phosphoramidate and its enzymatic incorporation at the 5 '-termini of RNA molecules. Chemical Communications (47): 5096-5098.
J.H. Yu, D. Parker, R. Pal, R.A. Poole & M.J. Cann (2006). A europium complex that selectively stains nucleoli of cells. Journal of the American Chemical Society 128(7): 2294-2299.
Hammer, A., Hodgson, D.R.W. & Cann, M.J. (2006). Regulation of prokaryotic adenylyl cyclases by CO₂. Biochemical Journal 396(2): 215-218.
R.A. Poole, G. Bobba, M.J. Cann, J.C. Frias, D. Parker & R.D. Peacock (2005). Synthesis and characterisation of highly emissive and kinetically stable lanthanide complexes suitable for usage "in cellulo". Org Biomol Chem 3(6): 1013-24.
M. Cann (2004). Bicarbonate stimulated adenylyl cyclases. IUBMB Life 56(9): 529-34.
Y. Bretonniere, M.J. Cann, D. Parker & R. Slater (2004). Design, synthesis and evaluation of ratiometric probes for hydrogencarbonate based on europium emission. Org Biomol Chem 2(11): 1624-32.
Cann, M.J. (2004). Signalling through cyclic nucleotide monophosphates in cyanobacteria. New Phytologist 161(23-34).
Cann, M.J., Hammer, A., Zhou, J. & Kanacher, T. (2003). A defined subset of adenylyl cyclases is regulated by bicarbonate ion. Journal of Biological Chemistry 278(37): 35033-35038.
J.C. Frias, G. Bobba, M.J. Cann, C.J. Hutchison & D. Parker (2003). Luminescent nonacoordinate cationic lanthanide complexes as potential cellular imaging and reactive probes. Org Biomol Chem 1(6): 905-7.
M.J. Cann (2003). Signalling through cyclic nucleotide monophosphates in cyanobacteria. New Phytologist 161: 23-34.
M.J. Cann & L.R. Levin (2002). Identification of transmembrane adenylyl cyclase isoforms. Methods Enzymol 345: 150-9.
Y. Bretonniere, M.J. Cann, D. Parker & R. Slater (2002). Ratiometric probes for hydrogencarbonate analysis in intracellular or extracellular environments using europium luminescence. Chem Commun (Camb) (17): 1930-1.
M.J. Cann, E. Chung & L.R. Levin (2000). A new family of adenylyl cyclase genes in the male germline of Drosophila melanogaster. Dev Genes Evol 210(4): 200-6.
M.J. Cann & L.R. Levin (2000). Restricted expression of a truncated adenylyl cyclase in the cephalic furrow of Drosophila melanogaster. Dev Genes Evol 210(1): 34-40.
Chen, Y., Cann, M.J., Litvin, T.N., Iourgenko, V., Sinclair, M.L., Levin, L.R. & Buck, J. (2000). Soluble adenylyl cyclase as an evolutionarily conserved bicarbonate sensor. Science 289(625-628).
Buck, J., Sinclair, M.L., Schapal, L. Cann, M.J. & Levin, L.R. (1999). Cytosolic adenylyl cyclase defines a unique signaling molecule in mammals. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci 96(79-84).
M.J. Cann & L.R. Levin (1998). Genetic characterization of adenylyl cyclase function. Adv Second Messenger Phosphoprotein Res 32: 121-35.
V. Iourgenko, B. Kliot, M.J. Cann & L.R. Levin (1997). Cloning and characterization of a Drosophila adenylyl cyclase homologous to mammalian type IX. FEBS Lett 413(1): 104-8.