Lisa-Marie Nisbett

Lisa-Marie Nisbett is a Provost New Faculty Fellow (2023-2025) and an incoming NIH Cornell Faculty Institutional Recruitment for Sustainable Transformation (FIRST) Assistant Professor in the Department of Microbiology. She received both her B.S and M.S in Biology from the LIU Post Campus of Long Island University in 2009 and 2012 respectively. She then completed a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Structural Biology from Stony Brook University in 2018, and was an IRACDA NY-CAPS postdoctoral scholar with Dr. Jessica Seeliger at Stony Brook University. Her postdoc work focused on probing the functional relationship between cell envelope biogenesis and lipid export pathways in mycobacteria. Specifically, she worked to elucidate the role of the lipoprotein LprG in transporting lipids to the exterior layer of mycobacteria, known as the mycomembrane, which functions as a well armored, critical barrier that protects mycobacteria from various assaults such as antibiotics.

Research Focus

The Nisbett lab is interested in determining the mechanisms of pathogenesis of clinically significant yet critically understudied bacterial pathogens such as nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM). In the clinic, NTM infections have become increasingly problematic as they are the primary cause of pulmonary lung infections, and are difficult to clear due to biofilm formation. As a result, there is a critical need for elucidating the mechanisms of NTM pathogenesis to develop novel therapeutics for NTM associated diseases. Using the model organism Mycobacterium abscessus, and genetic, biochemical, and metabolite quantification-based approaches, our lab will broadly address this need by investigating what molecular mechanisms drive NTM biofilm formation. Our work will provide insight into whether these mechanisms could be utilized for future anti-bacterial applications against NTM infections.

Publications

Nisbett L.M, Previti M.L., Seeliger J.C. 2023. A Loss of Function in LprG-Rv1410c Homologues Attenuates Growth during Biofilm Formation in Mycobacterium smegmatis. Pathogens 12, 1375

Fu J, Nisbett L.M, Guo Y, Boon E.M. 2023. NosP Detection of Heme Modulates Burkholderia thailandensis Biofilm Formation. Biochemistry 62, 2426-2441

Abidin Z.U, Aucapina J.E, Beauzil S, Berotte C.M, Bonsu A.O, Burgos G.Y, Chak S.T.C, Collymore A, Daley E.R, Defarias R, Ghobrial V, Gill S.S, Huertas-Arias J.M, Joseph H, Kaur N, Khan U, Klein C.J, Lazo H, Li Y, Miller O.B, Muñoz J.J, Nieto-Fernandez F.E, Nisbett L.M, Owens D, Patel S.M, Paulino E.J, Pender S, Perkins S.M, Persaud A, Pierrot T, Raja I, Riley K.L, Romero S, Sarmiento P.G, Shorter K, Smith S, Tahir W, Ukekwe C.A. 2022. Complete Genome Sequences of Actinobacteriophages Anaysia and Caviar. Microbiology Resource Annoucements 17

Nisbett L.M, Binnenkade L, Bacon B, Hossain S, Kotloski N.J, Brutinel E.D, Hartmann R, Dresher K, Arora D.P, Muralidharan S, Thormann K.M, Gralnick J.A, Boon E.M. 2019. NosP signaling modulates the NO/H-NOX-mediated multicomponent c-di-GMP network and biofilm formation in Shewanella oneidensis. Biochemistry 58, 4827-4841

Williams D.E, Nisbett L.M, Bacon B, Boon E.M. 2017. Bacterial heme-based sensors of nitric oxide. Forum issue themed “Metallocofactors in Sensing,” Booker, S.J., ed In Antioxidants and Redox Signaling

Hossain S, Nisbett L.M, Boon E.M. 2017. Discovery of two bacterial nitric-oxide-responsive proteins and their roles in bacterial biofilm regulation. Accounts of Chemical Research, 50, 1633-1639

Bacon B, Nisbett L.M, Boon E.M. 2017. Bacterial haemoprotein sensors of NO: H-NOX and NosP. Themed issue “Metals and Antimicrobials,” Poole, R., ed. Advances in Microbial Physiology, 70, 1-36

Nisbett L.M, Boon E.M. 2016. Nitric Oxide Regulation of H-NOX Signaling Pathways in Bacteria.  Biochemistry 54 (35), 5457-5468.

Engel R, Ghani I, Montenegro D, Thomas M, Klaritch-Vrana B, Castano A, Friedman L, Leb J, Rothman L, Lee H, Capodiferro C, Ambinder D, Cere E, Awad C, Sheikh F, Rizzo J.L, Nisbett L.M, Testani E, Melkonian K. 2011, Polycationic Glycosides. Molecules 16, 1508-1518