My research is based on the idea that we can learn about microbial ecology and evolution through microbial community gene sequencing.  My current projects are related to learning about gene expression in two distinct communities.  The first is cyanobacterial Harmful Algal Blooms (cyanoHABs) and the second is the coral reef communities associated the brain coral Mussismilia braziliensis, which suffers from white plague disease.  I focus on community expression but also look for evidence of for expression of genes related to secondary metabolites with a long term goal of learning about ecological functions of the secondary metabolites.  

Kevin Penn Publications

Penn K, Wang J, Fernando SC, Thompson JR.  2014.  Secondary metabolite gene expression and interplay of bacterial functions in a tropical freshwater cyanobacterial bloom.. ISME J. 

Nshimyimana JP, Ekklesia E, Shanahan P, Chua LHC, Thompson JR.  2014.  Distribution and abundance of human-specific Bacteroides and relation to traditional indicators in an urban tropical catchment.. J Appl Microbiol. 

• Google Scholar

Wang Z, Lin B, Mostaghim A, Rubin RA, Glaser ER, Mittraparp-Arthorn P, Thompson JR, Vuddhakul V, Vora GJ.  2013.  Vibrio campbellii hmgA-mediated pyomelanization impairs quorum sensing, virulence, and cellular fitness.. Front Microbiol. 4:379.

• Google Scholar

Bucarey SA, Penn K, Paul L, Fenical W, Jensen PR.  2012.  Genetic complementation of the obligate marine actinobacterium Salinispora tropica with the large mechanosensitive channel gene mscL rescues cells from osmotic downshock.. Appl Environ Microbiol. 78(12):4175-82.

• Google Scholar

Hubert CRJ, Oldenburg TBP, Fustic M, Gray ND, Larter SR, Penn K, Rowan AK, Seshadri R, Sherry A, Swainsbury R et al..  2012.  Massive dominance of Epsilonproteobacteria in formation waters from a Canadian oil sands reservoir containing severely biodegraded oil.. Environ Microbiol. 14(2):387-404.

• Google Scholar

Rattanama P, Thompson JR, Kongkerd N, Srinitiwarawong K, Vuddhakul V, Mekalanos JJ.  2012.  Sigma E regulators control hemolytic activity and virulence in a shrimp pathogenic Vibrio harveyi.. PLoS One. 7(2):e32523.

• Google Scholar

Penn K, Jensen PR.  2012.  Comparative genomics reveals evidence of marine adaptation in Salinispora species.. BMC Genomics. 13:86.

• Google Scholar

Ziemert N, Podell S, Penn K, Badger JH, Allen E, Jensen PR.  2012.  The natural product domain seeker NaPDoS: a phylogeny based bioinformatic tool to classify secondary metabolite gene diversity.. PLoS One. 7(3):e34064.

• Google Scholar

Martiny JBH, Eisen JA, Penn K, Allison SD, M Horner-Devine C.  2011.  Drivers of bacterial beta-diversity depend on spatial scale.. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 108(19):7850-4.

• Google Scholar

Udwary DW, Gontang EA, Jones AC, Jones CS, Schultz AW, Winter JM, Yang JY, Beauchemin N, Capson TL, Clark BR et al..  2011.  Significant natural product biosynthetic potential of actinorhizal symbionts of the genus frankia, as revealed by comparative genomic and proteomic analyses.. Appl Environ Microbiol. 77(11):3617-25.

• Google Scholar

Eustáquio AS, Nam S-J, Penn K, Lechner A, Wilson MC, Fenical W, Jensen PR, Moore BS.  2011.  The discovery of salinosporamide K from the marine bacterium "Salinispora pacifica" by genome mining gives insight into pathway evolution.. Chembiochem. 12(1):61-4.

• Google Scholar

Rattanama P, Srinitiwarawong K, Thompson JR, Pomwised R, Supamattaya K, Vuddhakul V.  2009.  Shrimp pathogenicity, hemolysis, and the presence of hemolysin and TTSS genes in Vibrio harveyi isolated from Thailand.. Dis Aquat Organ. 86(2):113-22.

• Google Scholar

Penn K, Jenkins C, Nett M, Udwary DW, Gontang EA, McGlinchey RP, Foster B, Lapidus A, Podell S, Allen EE et al..  2009.  Genomic islands link secondary metabolism to functional adaptation in marine Actinobacteria.. ISME J. 3(10):1193-203.

• Google Scholar

Teske A, Edgcomb V, Rivers AR, Thompson JR, Gomez Ade Vera, Molyneaux SJ, Wirsen CO.  2009.  A molecular and physiological survey of a diverse collection of hydrothermal vent Thermococcus and Pyrococcus isolates.. Extremophiles. 13(6):905-15.

• Google Scholar

Ward NL, Steven B, Penn K, Methé BA, Detrich WH.  2009.  Characterization of the intestinal microbiota of two Antarctic notothenioid fish species..Extremophiles. 13(4):679-85.

• Google Scholar

Ward NL, Challacombe JF, Janssen PH, Henrissat B, Coutinho PM, Wu M, Xie G, Haft DH, Sait M, Badger J et al..  2009.  Three genomes from the phylum Acidobacteria provide insight into the lifestyles of these microorganisms in soils.. Appl Environ Microbiol. 75(7):2046-56.

• Google Scholar

Marcelino LA, Backman V, Donaldson A, Steadman C, Thompson JR, Preheim SPacocha, Lien C, Lim E, Veneziano D, Polz MF.  2006.  Accurately quantifying low-abundant targets amid similar sequences by revealing hidden correlations in oligonucleotide microarray data.. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 103(37):13629-34.

• Google Scholar

Gophna U, Thompson JR, Boucher Y, W Doolittle F.  2006.  Complex histories of genes encoding 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoenzymeA reductase.. Mol Biol Evol. 23(1):168-78.

• Google Scholar

Luyten YA, Thompson JR, Morrill W, Polz MF, Distel DL.  2006.  Extensive variation in intracellular symbiont community composition among members of a single population of the wood-boring bivalve Lyrodus pedicellatus (Bivalvia: Teredinidae).. Appl Environ Microbiol. 72(1):412-7.

• Google Scholar

Penn K, Wu D, Eisen JA, Ward N.  2006.  Characterization of bacterial communities associated with deep-sea corals on Gulf of Alaska seamounts.. Appl Environ Microbiol. 72(2):1680-3.

• Google Scholar

Thompson JR, Pacocha S, Pharino C, Klepac-Ceraj V, Hunt DE, Benoit J, Sarma-Rupavtarm R, Distel DL, Polz MF.  2005.  Genotypic diversity within a natural coastal bacterioplankton population.. Science. 307(5713):1311-3.

• Google Scholar

Thompson JR, Randa MA, Marcelino LA, Tomita-Mitchell A, Lim E, Polz MF.  2004.  Diversity and dynamics of a north atlantic coastal Vibrio community.. Appl Environ Microbiol. 70(7):4103-10.

• Google Scholar

Thompson JR, Marcelino LA, Polz MF.  2002.  Heteroduplexes in mixed-template amplifications: formation, consequence and elimination by 'reconditioning PCR'.. Nucleic Acids Res. 30(9):2083-8.

• Google Scholar