Mark Thompson obtained his BSc. in Biochemistry from the University of York in 2006 which included a year working in industry within the Pharmacokinetics Dynamics and Metabolism department at Pfizer. After graduation he remained at the University of York completing a PhD in Chemistry in 2009, investigating biocatalytic routes for the production of commercially desirable monoterpene alcohols. Following this, from 2010-2011 he worked on a Post-doctoral position at the University of Greifswald (Germany). During this time in the Department of Biotechnology & Enzyme Catalysis, his research focussed on enzymes including Baeyer Villiger monooxygenases, esterases, and phenol oxidases. Work involved the targeted discovery of new biocatalysts and enhancement of catalytic properties via protein engineering, together with assay development and applied microbiology. After joining the Micklefield group in 2011 his current research interests are centred on the engineering of a number of different enzymes for improved commercial application.
Publications:
- Structure and Biocatalytic Scope of Coclaurine N-Methyltransferase. M. R. Bennett, M. L. Thompson, S. A. Shepherd, M. S. Dunstan, A. J. Herbert, D. R. M. Smith, V. A. Cronin, B. R. K. Menon, C. Levy & J. Micklefield Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2018 in press. (http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/anie.201805060)
- Effects of Active Site Modification and Quaternary Structure on the Regioselectivity of Catechol-O-Methyltransferase. B. J. C. Law, M. R. Bennett, M. L. Thompson, C. Levy, S. A. Shepherd, D. Leys, and J. Micklefield Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2016, 55, 2683-2687. (http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/anie.201508287)
- Extending the Biocatalytic Scope of Regiocomplementary Flavin-Dependent Halogenase Enzymes. S.A. Shepherd, C. Karthikeyan, J. Latham, A.-W. Struck, M. L. Thompson, B. Menon, C. Levy, D. Leys and J. Micklefield Chemical Science 2015 6, 3454-3460 (http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/C5SC00913H)
- Enzymatic Enantioselective Decarboxylative Protonation of Heteroaryl Malonates. R. Lewin, M. Goodall, M.L. Thompson, J. Leigh, M. Breuer, K. Baldenius and J. Micklefield Chem. Eur. J., 2015, 17, 6557-6563. DOI: 10.1002/chem.201406014
- Enzymatic Carboxylation and Decarboxylation. R. Lewin, M. Thompson and J Micklefield Science of Synthesis: Biocatalysis in Organic Synthesis, 2014, 2, 133-157.
- S-Adenosyl-Methionine-Dependent Methyltransferases: Highly Versatile Enzymes in Biocatalysis, Biosynthesis and Other Biotechnological Applications. A.-W. Struck, M.L. Thompson, L.S. Wong, and J. Micklefield ChemBioChem 2012, 13, 2642-2655 (http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/cbic.201200556)
- Use of “small but smart” libraries to enhance the enantioselectivity of an esterase from Bacillus stearothermophilus towards tetrahydrofuran-3-yl acetate. A. Nobili, M.G. Gall, I.V. Pavlidis, M.L. Thompson, M. Schmidt, U.T. Bornscheuer FEBS Journal, 2013, 280, 3084-3093.
- Investigating the effects of metals on phenol oxidase-producing nitrogen-fixing Azotobacter chroococcum. S. Herter, M. Schmidt, M.L. Thompson, A. Mikolasch, F. Schauer. Journal of Basic Microbiology, 2012, 52, 1-9
- A high-throughput assay method to quantify Baeyer-Villiger monooxygenase activity. S. Sass, M. Kadow, K. Geitner, M.L. Thompson, L. Talmann, D. Bottcher, M. Schmidt, U.T. Bornscheuer. Tetrahedron, 2012, 68, 7570-7580.
- Study of enzymatic properties of phenol oxidase from nitrogen-fixing Azotobacter chroococcum. S. Herter, M. Schmidt, M.L. Thompson, A. Mikolasch, F. Schauer. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology Express, 2011, 1, 14.
- Identification of novel esterases for the synthesis of sterically demanding chiral alcohols by sequence-structure guided genome mining. G.S. Nguyen, M.L. Thompson, G. Grogan, U.T. Bornscheuer, R. Kourist. Journal of Molecular Catalysis B: Enzymatic, 2011, 70, 88-94.
- A new phenol oxidase produced during melanogenesis and encystment stage in the nitrogen-fixing soil bacterium Azotobacter chroococcum. S. Herter, M. Schmidt, M.L. Thompson, A. Mikolasch, F. Schauer. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 2011, 90, 1037-1049.
- Comparative analysis of tertiary alcohol esterase activity in bacterial strains isolated from enrichment cultures and from screening strain libraries. S. Herter, G.S. Nguyen, M.L. Thompson, F. Steffen-Munsberg, F. Schauer, U.T. Bornscheuer, R. Kourist. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 2011, 90, 929-939.
- Biotransformation of β-myrcene to geraniol by a strain of Rhodococcus erythropolis isolated by selective enrichment from hop plants. M.L. Thompson, R. Marriott, A. Dowle, G. Grogan. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 2010, 85, 721-730.