Staff profile

We are based within the Department of Chemistry and work closely with physicists, chemists, and mathematicians.

Carbon dioxide sensing.

CO₂ is essential for life. It is at the beginning of every life process as a fundamental substrate of photosynthesis or chemosynthesis and is at the end of every life process as the product of aerobic respiration and post-mortem decay. As such, it is not a surprise that this gas regulates such diverse processes as cellular chemical reactions, transport, maintenance of the cellular environment, behaviour and immunity. CO₂ is a strategically importnt research target with relevance to crop responses to environmental change, insect vector borne disease and public health. However, we know very little of the direct interactions of CO₂ with the cell, despite the importance of the gas to biology.

Our current work is directed toward understanding how CO₂ impacts on cell function in diverse model systems, particularly through the carbamate post-translational modification on the lysine epsilon-amino group. 

 

 

• Bicarbonate
• Biochemistry
• Carbon dioxide
• Cell biology
• Hypercapnia
• Hypocapnia
• Inorganic carbon
• Molecular biology
• Signal transduction

• 2023: Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry:
• 2022: RCUK Committee Membership: Chair Panel D
• 2021: Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology:
• 2020: Institute of Physics: Rosalind Franklin Silver Medal (co-awardee)
• 2003: Fellowship: Leverhulme Trust Research Fellow 2003-2005

Authored book

• Townsend, P., Rodgers, T., Pohl, E., Wilson, M., Cann, M., & McLeish, T. (2015). Physical Biology of Proteins and Peptides. Springer Verlag. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-21687-4

Chapter in book

• Holmes, A., Nunes, A., Cann, M., & Kumar, P. (2015). Ecto-5'-Nucleotidase, Adenosine and Transmembrane Adenylyl Cyclase Signalling Regulate Basal Carotid Body Chemoafferent Outflow and Establish the Sensitivity to Hypercapnia. In C. Peers, P. Kumar, C. Wyatt, E. Gauda, C. A. Nurse, & N. Prabhakar (Eds.), Arterial Chemoreceptors in Physiology and Pathophysiology (279-289). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-18440-1_32

Journal Article

• Gannon, H. G., Riaz-Bradley, A., & Cann, M. J. (2024). A Non-Functional Carbon Dioxide-Mediated Post-Translational Modification on Nucleoside Diphosphate Kinase of Arabidopsis thaliana. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 25(2), Article 898. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25020898
• Gannon, H. G., & Cann, M. J. (2023). Near atmospheric carbon dioxide activates plant ubiquitin cross-linking. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbadva.2023.100096
• Guillen-Garcia, A., Gibson, S., Jordan, C., Ramaswamy, V., Linthwaite, V., Bromley, E., …Cann, M. (2022). Allophycocyanin A is a carbon dioxide receptor in the cyanobacterial phycobilisome. Nature Communications, 13, Article 5289. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-32925-6
• Blake, L. I., & Cann, M. J. (2022). Carbon Dioxide and the Carbamate Post-Translational Modification. Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences, 9, Article 825706. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmolb.2022.825706
• Linthwaite, V., Pawloski, W., Pegg, H., Townsend, P., Thomas, M., Brown, A., …Cann, M. (2021). Ubiquitin is a carbon dioxide-binding protein. Science Advances, 7(39), Article eabi5507. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abi5507
• Linthwaite, V. L., & Cann, M. J. (2021). A methodology for carbamate post-translational modification discovery and its application in Escherichia coli. Interface Focus, 11(2), Article 20200028. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsfs.2020.0028
• Nijjar, S., Maddison, D., Meigh, L., Wolf, E., Rodgers, T., Cann, M., & Dale, N. (2021). Opposing modulation of Cx26 gap junctions and hemichannels by CO2. The Journal of Physiology, 599(1), 103-118. https://doi.org/10.1113/jp280747
• Smith, P. O., Black, D. J., Pal, R., Avó, J., Dias, F. B., Linthwaite, V. L., …Pålsson, L. (2021). Applying TADF Emitters in Bioimaging and Sensing—A Novel Approach Using Liposomes for Encapsulation and Cellular Uptake. Frontiers in Chemistry, 9, Article 743928. https://doi.org/10.3389/fchem.2021.743928
• Sukarta, O. C., Townsend, P. D., Llewelyn, A., Dixon, C. H., Slootweg, E. J., Pålsson, L., …Cann, M. J. (2020). A DNA-binding bromodomain-containing protein interacts with and reduces Rx1-mediated immune response to Potato Virus X. Plant communications, 1(4), Article 100086. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xplc.2020.100086
• Slootweg, E. J., Spiridon, L. N., Martin, E. C., Tameling, W. I., Townsend, P. D., Pomp, R., …Goverse, A. (2018). Distinct Roles of Non-Overlapping Surface Regions of the Coiled-Coil Domain in the Potato Immune Receptor Rx1. Plant Physiology, 178(3), 1310-1331. https://doi.org/10.1104/pp.18.00603
• Linthwaite, V., Janus, J., Brown, A., Wong-Pascua, D., O’Donoghue, A., Porter, A., …Cann, M. (2018). The identification of carbon dioxide mediated protein post-translational modifications. Nature Communications, 9, Article 3092. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-05475-z
• Townsend, P., Dixon, C., Slootweg, E., Sukarta, O., Yang, A., Hughes, T., …Cann, M. (2018). The intracellular immune receptor Rx1 regulates the DNA-binding activity of a Golden2-like transcription factor. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 293(9), 3218-3233. https://doi.org/10.1074/jbc.ra117.000485
• Turner, M., Saint-Crib, V., Patel, W., Ibrahim, S., Verdon, B., Ward, C., …Gray, M. (2016). Hypercapnia modulates cAMP signalling and cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator-dependent anion and fluid secretion in airway epithelia. The Journal of Physiology, 594(6), 1643-1661. https://doi.org/10.1113/jp271309
• Fenyk, S., Dixon, C., Kittens, W., Townsend, P., Sharpies, G., Pålsson, L., …Cann, M. (2016). The tomato Nucleotide-Binding Leucine-Rich Repeat (NLR) Immune Receptor I-2 couples DNA-Binding to Nucleotide-Binding Domain Nucleotide Exchange. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 291(3), 1137-1147. https://doi.org/10.1074/jbc.m115.698589
• Fenyk, S., Townsend, P. D., Dixon, C. H., Spies, G. B., de San Eustaquio Campillo, A., Slootweg, E. J., …Cann, M. J. (2015). The Potato Nucleotide-Binding Leucine-Rich Repeat (NLR) Immune Receptor Rx1 is a Pathogen Dependent DNA-Deforming Protein. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 290(41), 24945-24960. https://doi.org/10.1074/jbc.m115.672121
• McLeish, T., Cann, M., & Rodgers, T. (2015). Dynamic Transmission of Protein Allostery without Structural Change: Spatial Pathways or Global Modes?. Biophysical Journal, 109(6), 1240-1250. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpj.2015.08.009
• Townsend, P., Rodgers, T., Glover, L., Korhonen, H., Richards, S., Colwell, L., …Cann, M. (2015). The role of protein-ligand contacts in allosteric regulation of the Escherichia coli Catabolite Activator Protein. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 290(36), 22225-22235. https://doi.org/10.1074/jbc.m115.669267
• Townsend, P., Rogers, T., Pohl, E., Wilson, M., McLeish, T., & Cann, M. (2015). Global low-frequency motions in protein allostery: CAP as a model system. Biophysical Reviews, 7(2), 175-182. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12551-015-0163-9
• Townsend, P., Jungwirth, B., Pojer, P., Bußmann, M., Money, V., Cole, S., …Pohl, E. (2014). The crystal structures of apo and cAMP-bound GlxR from Corynebacterium glutamicum reveal structural and dynamic changes upon cAMP binding in CRP/FNR family transcription factors. PLoS ONE, 9(12), Article e113265. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0113265
• Meigh, L., Greenhalgh, S., Rodgers, T., Cann, M., Roper, D., & Dale, N. (2013). CO2 directly modulates connexin 26 by formation of carbamate bridges between subunits. eLife, 2, https://doi.org/10.7554/elife.01213
• Rodgers, T., Townsend, P., Burnell, D., Jones, M., Richards, S., McLeish, T., …Cann, M. (2013). Modulation of Global Low-Frequency Motions Underlies Allosteric Regulation: Demonstration in CRP/FNR Family Transcription Factors. PLoS Biology, 11(9), Article e1001651. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1001651
• Cook, Z., Gray, M., & Cann, M. (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. https://doi.org/10.1074/jbc.m112.349191
• Fenyk, S., de San Eustaquio Campillo, A., Pohl, E., Hussey, P., & Cann, M. (2012). A Nucleotide Phosphatase Activity in the Nucleotide Binding Domain of an Orphan Resistance Protein from Rice. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 287(6), 4023-4032. https://doi.org/10.1074/jbc.m111.314450
• Topal, H., Fulcher, N., Bitterman, J., Salazar, E., Buck, J., Levin, L., …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. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmb.2011.12.045
• Fulcher, N., Holliday, P., Klem, E., Cann, M., & Wolfgang, M. (2010). The Pseudomonas aeruginosa Chp chemosensory system regulates intracellular cAMP levels by modulating adenylate cyclase activity. Molecular Microbiology, 76(4), 889-904. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2958.2010.07135.x
• Townsend, P., Holliday, P., Fenyk, S., Hess, K., Gray, M., Hodgson, D., & Cann, M. (2009). Stimulation of Mammalian G-protein-responsive Adenylyl Cyclases by Carbon Dioxide. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 284(2), 784-791. https://doi.org/10.1074/jbc.m807239200
• Cann, M. (2007). Sodium regulation of GAF domain function. Biochemical Society Transactions, 35(5), 1032-1034. https://doi.org/10.1042/bst0351032
• Williamson, D., Cann, M., & Hodgson, D. (2007). Synthesis of 5'-Amino-5'-deoxyguanosine-5'-N-phosphoramidate and its Enzymatic Incorporation at the 5'-Termini of RNA Molecules. Chemical Communications, 2007(47), 5096-5098. https://doi.org/10.1039/b712066d
• Cann, M. (2007). A subset of GAF domains are evolutionarily conserved sodium sensors. Molecular Microbiology, 64(2), 461-472. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2958.2007.05669.x
• Yu, J., Parker, D., Pal, R., Poole, R., & Cann, M. (2006). A europium complex that selectively stains nucleoli of cells. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 128(7), 2294-2299. https://doi.org/10.1021/ja056303g
• Hammer, A., Hodgson, D., & Cann, M. (2006). Regulation of prokaryotic adenylyl cyclases by CO₂. Biochemical Journal, 396(2), 215-218. https://doi.org/10.1042/bj20060372
• Poole, R., Bobba, G., Cann, M., Frias, J., Parker, D., & Peacock, R. (2005). Synthesis and characterisation of highly emissive and kinetically stable lanthanide complexes suitable for usage 'in cellulo'. Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry, 3(6), 1013-1024. https://doi.org/10.1039/b418964g
• Cann, M. (2004). Bicarbonate stimulated adenylyl cyclases. IUBMB Life, 56(9), 529-534. https://doi.org/10.1080/15216540400013861
• Bretonniere, Y., Cann, M., Parker, D., & Slater, R. (2004). Design, synthesis and evaluation of ratiometric probes for hydrogencarbonate based on europium emission. Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry, 2(11), 1624-1632. https://doi.org/10.1039/b400734b
• Cann, M. (2004). Signalling through cyclic nucleotide monophosphates in cyanobacteria. New Phytologist, 161(23-34),
• Cann, M., 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. https://doi.org/10.1074/jbc.m303025200
• Frias, J., Bobba, G., Cann, M., Hutchison, C., & Parker, D. (2003). Luminescent nonacoordinate cationic lanthanide complexes as potential cellular imaging and reactive probes. Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry, 1(6), 905-907
• Cann, M. (2003). Signalling through cyclic nucleotide monophosphates in cyanobacteria. New Phytologist, 161, 23-34
• Bretonnière, Y., Cann, M., Parker, D., & Slater, R. (2002). Ratiometric probes for hydrogencarbonate analysis in intracellular or extracellular environments using europium luminescence. Chemical Communications, 2002(17), 1930-1931. https://doi.org/10.1039/b206286k
• Cann, M., & Levin, L. (2002). Identification of transmembrane adenylyl cyclase isoforms
• Chen, Y., Cann, M., Litvin, T., Iourgenko, V., Sinclair, M., Levin, L., & Buck, J. (2000). Soluble adenylyl cyclase as an evolutionarily conserved bicarbonate sensor. Science, 289(5479), 625-628. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.289.5479.625
• Cann, M., Chung, E., & Levin, L. (2000). A new family of adenylyl cyclase genes in the male germline of Drosophila melanogaster. Development Genes and Evolution, 210(4), 200-206. https://doi.org/10.1007/s004270050304
• Cann, M., & Levin, L. (2000). Restricted expression of a truncated adenylyl cyclase in the cephalic furrow of Drosophila melanogaster. Development Genes and Evolution, 210(1), 34-40. https://doi.org/10.1007/pl00008186
• Buck, J., Sinclair, M., Schapal, L., Cann, M., & Levin, L. (1999). Cytosolic adenylyl cyclase defines a unique signaling molecule in mammals. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 96(1), 79-84. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.96.1.79
• Cann, M., & Levin, L. (1998). Genetic characterization of adenylyl cyclase function. Advances in second messenger and phosphoprotein research, 32, 121-135. https://doi.org/10.1016/s1040-7952%2898%2980008-6
• Iourgenko, V., Kliot, B., Cann, M., & Levin, L. (1997). Cloning and characterization of a Drosophila adenylyl cyclase homologous to mammalian type IX. FEBS Letters, 413(11), 104-108. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0014-5793%2897%2900891-0