Siân Owen, Ph.D.
    caption: A phage DisCo plate showing plasmid dependent phages (black plaques), Salmonella phages (blue plaques) and Pseudomonas phages (red plaques).
    A phage DisCo plate showing plasmid dependent phages (black plaques), Salmonella phages (blue plaques) and Pseudomonas phages (red plaques).
    Phages (red) infecting Salmonella cells
    Phages (red) infecting Salmonella cells. The BstA abortive infection protein (green) responds dynamically prior to cell lysis.
    Caption: A transmission electron micrograph of phage FtMidnight, which is dependent on the F plasmid of E. coli.
    Caption: A transmission electron micrograph of phage FtMidnight, which is dependent on the F plasmid of E. coli.
Print
BACK TO SENIOR STAFF

Siân Owen, Ph.D.

Bacteriophages & Mobile Genetic Elements
Ph.D.: University of Liverpool (2017)
Postdoctoral training: Harvard Medical School
(518) 391-4565

Research Interests

Research in my laboratory explores the molecular biology of bacterial viruses (bacteriophages) and other mobile genetic elements, with a focus on how they shape the ecology and evolution of bacterial pathogens.

Studying how phages interact with their bacterial hosts provides fundamental insight into the biology of those bacteria, and I am inspired by the idea that phages, and other genetic parasites, have been studying bacteria for much longer than we have. For example, understanding the bacterial receptors phages in any given environment are using can reveal what molecular structures are exposed on those bacteria in situ and their importance in this environment - phages almost always evolve to impose evolutionary tradeoffs!

By understanding these interactions, we can learn how to exploit them to better predict evolutionary outcomes, or even derive strategic interventions to guide the evolution of bacteria towards favorable outcomes.

Currently, we are pioneering novel strategies to isolate phages with interesting and potentially exploitable characteristics, such as dependency on antibiotic resistance plasmids. We are studying the biology of these unusual plasmid-dependent phages, gaining unique insight into the molecular biology of bacterial pathogens, and exploring how these phages could be used to combat the global threat of antibiotic resistance.

Select Publications
Quinones-Olvera N, Owen SV, McCully LM, Marin MG, Rand EA, Fan AC, Martins Dosumu OJ, Paul K, Sanchez Castaño CE, Petherbridge R, Paull JS, Baym M. Diverse and abundant phages exploit conjugative plasmids. Nat Commun. 2024; Apr 12;15 (1): 3197. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-47416-z
Pubmed Web Address
Silpe JE, Wong JWH, Owen SV, Baym M, Balskus EP. The bacterial toxin colibactin triggers prophage induction. Nature. 2022; Mar;603 (7900): 315-320. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-04444-3
Pubmed Web Address
Owen SV, Wenner N, Dulberger CL, Rodwell EV, Bowers-Barnard A, Quinones-Olvera N, Rigden DJ, Rubin EJ, Garner EC, Baym M, Hinton JCD. Prophages encode phage-defense systems with cognate self-immunity. Cell Host Microbe. 2021; Nov 10;29 (11): 1620-1633.e8. DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2021.09.002
Pubmed Web Address
Owen SV, Canals R, Wenner N, Hammarlöf DL, Kröger C, Hinton JCD. A window into lysogeny: revealing temperate phage biology with transcriptomics. Feb;6. 2020; 2 e000330. DOI: 10.1099/mgen.0.000330
Pubmed Web Address
Owen SV, Wenner N, Canals R, Makumi A, Hammarlöf DL, Gordon MA, Aertsen A, Feasey NA, Hinton JC. Characterization of the prophage repertoire of African Salmonella Typhimurium ST313 reveals high levels of spontaneous induction of novel phage BTP1. Front Microbiol. 2017; Feb 23; (8): 235. DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2017.00235
Pubmed Web Address
Full publication listing