Professor Nick Jacques

Institute of Dental Research

• Research Interests

• Publications
• Contact Details

Professor Nick Jacques is a Principal Research Scientist in the Institute of Dental Research who obtained his BSc (Hons) and PhD degrees in biochemistry from the University of Sydney.

He is currently Adjunct Professor to the Vision Cooperative Research Centre at the University of NSW and an Honorary Associate in the Division of Environmental and Life Sciences, Macquarie University.

Research Interests

Professor Jacques established the first molecular biological laboratory in dental research in Australia in order to study sucrose metabolism in oral bacteria associated with dental caries.

His current research involves the application of state-of-the-art molecular and protein technologies to study complex polymicrobial biofilms, including phylogenetic analysis of non-cultivable bacteria. Two grants from the National Institutes of Health in the USA, have enabled him to apply proteome techniques to study gene expression in oral microbial biofilms, and, in collaboration with Prof Hunter at the IDR, to investigate the mechanism by which polymicrobial consortia invade dentine and inflame the dental pulp in advanced caries.

The techniques that have been developed are also being applied to study immune development in the neonate of the Tammar Wallaby in collaboration with Prof Liz Deane at Macquarie University.

Publications

- 2008 - 2007 - 2006 - 2005 - 2004 - 2003 -

2008

• Langley DB, DWS Harty, NA Jacques, N Hunter, JM Guss and CACollyer. 2008. Structure of N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase (GcnA) from the endocarditis pathogen Streptococcus gordonii in the presence of the mechanism-based inhibitor NAG-thiazoline. J Mol Biol 377: 104-116.
• Smith-Vaughan H, R Byun, S Halpin, M Nadkarni, NA Jacques and H Nunter, PM Morris, AJ Leach. 2008. Interventions for prevention of otitis media are likely to be most effective if implemented in the first weeks of life. Int J Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology 72: 57-61.
• Chhour K-L, LA Hinds, EM Deane and NA Jacques. 2008. The microbiome of the cloacal openings of the urogenital and anal tracts of the tammar wallaby, Macropus eugenii. Microbiology 154: (in press).

2007

• Byun R, J-P Carlier, NA Jacques, H Marchandin and N Hunter. 2007. Veillonella dentocariosi sp. nov., isolated from human carious dentine. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 57: 2844-2848.

2006

• Smith-Vaughan H, R Byun, MA Nadkarni, NA Jacques, N Hunter, S Halpin, PS Morris, AJ Leach. 2006. Measuring nasal bacterial load and its association with otitis media. BMC Ear, Nose and Throat Disorders, 6: 10.

2005

• Chhour K-L, MA Nadkarni, R Byun, FE Martin, NA Jacques and N Hunter. 2005. Molecular analysis of microbial diversity in advanced caries. Journal of Clinical Microbiology 43: 843-849.
• Rathsam C, R Eaton, CL Simpson, G Browne, T Berg, DWS Harty and NA Jacques. 2005. Up-regulation of competence- but not stress-responsive-proteins accompany an altered metabolic phenotype in Streptococcus mutans biofilms. Microbiology 151: 1823-1837.
• Rathsam C, R Eaton, CL Simpson, G Browne, V Valova, DWS Harty and NA Jacques. 2005. Two-dimensional fluorescence difference gel electrophoretic analysis of Streptococcus mutans biofilms. Journal of Proteome Research 4: 2161- 2173.

2004

• Len ACL, DWS Harty and NA Jacques. 2004. Stress-responsive proteins are upregulated in Streptococcus mutans during acid tolerance. Microbiology 150: 1339-1351.
• Len, ACL, DWS Harty and NA Jacques. 2004. Proteome analysis of Streptococcus mutans metabolic phenotype during acid tolerance Microbiology. 150: 1353-1366.
• Harty DWS, Y Chen, CL Simpson, T Berg, SL Cook, JA Mayo, N Hunter and NA Jacques. 2004. Characterization of a novel homodimeric N-acetyl--D-glucosaminidase from Streptococcus gordonii. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications 319: 439-447.
• Byun R, MA Nadkarni, K-L Chhour, FE Martin, NA Jacques and N Hunter. 2004. Quantitative analysis of diverse Lactobacillus species present in advanced dental caries. Journal of Clinical Microbiology 42: 3128-3136.
• Nadkarni MA, K-A Nguyen, CC Chapple, AA DeCarlo, NA Jacques and N Hunter. 2004. Distribution of Porphyromonas gingivalis biotypes defined by alleles of the kgp (lys-gingipain) gene. Journal of Clinical Microbiology 42: 3873–3876.
• Nadkarni MA, CE Caldon, K-L Chhour, IP Fisher, FE Martin, NA Jacques and N Hunter. 2004. Carious dentine provides a habitat for a complex array of novel Prevotella-like bacteria. Journal of Clinical Microbiology 42:.5238-5244.

2003

• Len, ACL, SJ Cordwell, DWS Harty and NA Jacques. 2003. Cellular and extracellular proteome analysis of Streptococcus mutans grown in a chemostat. Proteomics 3: 627-646.
• Macarthur, DJ, and NA Jacques. 2003. Proteome Analysis of Oral Pathogens. Journal of Dental Research 82: 870-876.

Contact Details

T +61 2 9845 8763

F +61 2 9845 7599

E nick_jacques@wmi.usyd.edu.au