User:Wiep Klaas Smits

Wiep Klaas Smits

Contact Info

Wiep Klaas Smits
Department of Medical Microbiology
Postzone E4-P, room L4-39
Leiden University Medical Center
Albinusdreef 2
2333 ZA
Leiden
The Netherlands

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Education

• 2007, PhD, University of Groningen, The Netherlands, cum laude
• 2002, MSc, University of Groningen, The Netherlands, cum laude
• 1998, Propedeuse (undergraduate degree), University of Groningen, The Netherlands, cum laude

Research interests

1. Genetics, molecular and cell biology of Gram positive organisms (C. difficile, B. subtilis)
2. Phenotypic heterogeneity
3. Competence for genetic transformation
4. DNA replication
5. Toxin production

Awards and honours

• 2010, Veni Fellowship from the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research
• 2008, Rubicon Fellowship from the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research
• 2007, EMBO Long Term Fellowship (declined)
• 2007, Nat L. Sternberg Thesis Prize, for the most outstanding PhD thesis in the field of prokaryotic molecular genetics
• 2005, Kiem Prize of the Dutch Society of Microbiology (NVvM), for the best first publication as a first author
• 2002, Travel grant Dr. L.A. Bumafonds
• 2001, Travel grant Dr. L.A. Bumafonds
• 2001, Erasmus scholarship for exchange with Oxford University

Publications

1. Smits WK and Grossman AD. The transcriptional regulator Rok binds A+T-rich DNA and is involved in repression of a mobile genetic element in Bacillus subtilis. PLoS Genet. 2010 Nov 11;6(11):e1001207. DOI:10.1371/journal.pgen.1001207 |
2. Smits WK, Goranov AI, and Grossman AD. Ordered association of helicase loader proteins with the Bacillus subtilis origin of replication in vivo. Mol Microbiol. 2010 Jan;75(2):452-61. DOI:10.1111/j.1365-2958.2009.06999.x |
3. Kovács AT, Smits WK, Mirończuk AM, and Kuipers OP. Ubiquitous late competence genes in Bacillus species indicate the presence of functional DNA uptake machineries. Environ Microbiol. 2009 Aug;11(8):1911-22. DOI:10.1111/j.1462-2920.2009.01937.x |
4. Veening JW, Smits WK, and Kuipers OP. Bistability, epigenetics, and bet-hedging in bacteria. Annu Rev Microbiol. 2008;62:193-210. DOI:10.1146/annurev.micro.62.081307.163002 |
5. Lulko AT, Veening JW, Buist G, Smits WK, Blom EJ, Beekman AC, Bron S, and Kuipers OP. Production and secretion stress caused by overexpression of heterologous alpha-amylase leads to inhibition of sporulation and a prolonged motile phase in Bacillus subtilis. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2007 Aug;73(16):5354-62. DOI:10.1128/AEM.00472-07 |
6. Smits WK, Bongiorni C, Veening JW, Hamoen LW, Kuipers OP, and Perego M. Temporal separation of distinct differentiation pathways by a dual specificity Rap-Phr system in Bacillus subtilis. Mol Microbiol. 2007 Jul;65(1):103-20. DOI:10.1111/j.1365-2958.2007.05776.x |
7. Smits WK, Hoa TT, Hamoen LW, Kuipers OP, and Dubnau D. Antirepression as a second mechanism of transcriptional activation by a minor groove binding protein. Mol Microbiol. 2007 Apr;64(2):368-81. DOI:10.1111/j.1365-2958.2007.05662.x |
8. Susanna KA, Mironczuk AM, Smits WK, Hamoen LW, and Kuipers OP. A single, specific thymine mutation in the ComK-binding site severely decreases binding and transcription activation by the competence transcription factor ComK of Bacillus subtilis. J Bacteriol. 2007 Jul;189(13):4718-28. DOI:10.1128/JB.00281-07 |
9. Veening JW, Smits WK, Hamoen LW, and Kuipers OP. Single cell analysis of gene expression patterns of competence development and initiation of sporulation in Bacillus subtilis grown on chemically defined media. J Appl Microbiol. 2006 Sep;101(3):531-41. DOI:10.1111/j.1365-2672.2006.02911.x |
10. Smits WK, Kuipers OP, and Veening JW. Phenotypic variation in bacteria: the role of feedback regulation. Nat Rev Microbiol. 2006 Apr;4(4):259-71. DOI:10.1038/nrmicro1381 |
11. Smits WK, Dubois JY, Bron S, van Dijl JM, and Kuipers OP. Tricksy business: transcriptome analysis reveals the involvement of thioredoxin A in redox homeostasis, oxidative stress, sulfur metabolism, and cellular differentiation in Bacillus subtilis. J Bacteriol. 2005 Jun;187(12):3921-30. DOI:10.1128/JB.187.12.3921-3930.2005 |
12. Smits WK, Eschevins CC, Susanna KA, Bron S, Kuipers OP, and Hamoen LW. Stripping Bacillus: ComK auto-stimulation is responsible for the bistable response in competence development. Mol Microbiol. 2005 May;56(3):604-14. DOI:10.1111/j.1365-2958.2005.04488.x |
13. Albano M, Smits WK, Ho LT, Kraigher B, Mandic-Mulec I, Kuipers OP, and Dubnau D. The Rok protein of Bacillus subtilis represses genes for cell surface and extracellular functions. J Bacteriol. 2005 Mar;187(6):2010-9. DOI:10.1128/JB.187.6.2010-2019.2005 |
14. Veening JW, Smits WK, Hamoen LW, Jongbloed JD, and Kuipers OP. Visualization of differential gene expression by improved cyan fluorescent protein and yellow fluorescent protein production in Bacillus subtilis. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2004 Nov;70(11):6809-15. DOI:10.1128/AEM.70.11.6809-6815.2004 |
15. Baerends RJ, Smits WK, de Jong A, Hamoen LW, Kok J, and Kuipers OP. Genome2D: a visualization tool for the rapid analysis of bacterial transcriptome data. Genome Biol. 2004;5(5):R37. DOI:10.1186/gb-2004-5-5-r37 |
16. Hamoen LW, Smits WK, de Jong A, Holsappel S, and Kuipers OP. Improving the predictive value of the competence transcription factor (ComK) binding site in Bacillus subtilis using a genomic approach. Nucleic Acids Res. 2002 Dec 15;30(24):5517-28. DOI:10.1093/nar/gkf698 |

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17. ISBN:9789036730310
18. ISBN:9783540749202

Personal

(under construction)

Useful links

• My weblog (in Dutch) and my website (under construction)
• My profile on Linkedin, Epernicus and Nature Network Boston
• My profile on Facebookand Hyves (the Dutch equivalent)
• European Career Fair at MIT
• OpenWetWare tutorial
• OpenWetWare help pages