D. Wade Abbott, Ph. D.

Research Scientist

Agricultural Glycomics

Functional Genomics of Carbohydrate Utilization

Intestinal Microbiomes

Carbohydrate Active Enzymes

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

5403-1st Avenue South, Lethbridge, Alberta

Current research and/or projects

Principal Investigator. Abbott DW, Zandberg WF, Inglis GD, TA, T, Thomas, D., Ortega Polo, R. Title: “Muco-Screen: A platform technology to evaluate commercial and agriproduct based inhibitors for mitigation of necrotic enteritis in broiler chickens.” Agriculture and Forestry $325K, Apr 2020-Mar 2023.
Co-Applicant. Beauchemin, K, McAllister, TW, Abbott, DW, Gruninger, R. “Seaweeds and seaweed-ingredients to reduce enteric methane emissions from pasture-based sheep, cattle, and dairy cows (SeaSolutions).” A-base $500K, Apr 2019-Mar 2022.
Co-Applicant. Inglis, GD, Abbott, DW, Carrillo, C, Hodges, L, Richman, M. “Rationale-based mitigation of relevant Campylobacter jejuni strains within the broiler production continuum.” GF2 Poultry Cluster $559K, Apr 2018-Mar 2023.
Co-Principal Investigator. Zandberg, WF, Abbott, DW, Inglis, GD, Boraston, AB, Smith, SP, Capicciotti, C. “Mitigation of Necrotic Enteritis by improving the Integrity of intestinal mucin through small molecules and stress management.” GlycoNet $370K, Apr 2020-Mar 2022.
Co-Applicant. Brumer H, Inglis, GD (Co-PI), Abbott, DW, Sheedy, C, Boras, V. Sly, L. Title: “Development of next-generation glyco-caged drugs to treat enteric inflammatory diseases in humans and livestock.” GlycoNet $400K, Apr 2020-Mar2022.
Principal Investigator. Abbott DW, Beauchemin, K, McAllister, TA, T, Thomas, D., Ortega Polo, R. Title:” Structural and functional characterization of bovine rumen microbiomes adapted to the consumption of seaweed in natural and farm-intensive systems.” Abase-AAFC $360K, Apr 2019-Mar 2022.
Principal Investigator. Abbott DW, Alexander, T, Thomas, D. Title: “Evidence-based prebiotic-probiotic solutions for improving gut health and feed efficiency in cattle.” Beef and Cattle Research Council $576K, Apr 2018-Mar 2023.
Principal Investigator. Abbott DW, Inglis GD, Slominski B.Title: “Discovery pipeline for rapid development of tailored fibrolytic enzymes that improve the digestibility of canola meal for monogastric livestock” Agriculture Funding Consortium. $234,600 Apr 2018-Mar 2020.
Co- Principal Investigator. McAllister, TA (PI), Abbott, DW (Co-PI), Yang WZ. Title: “Development of novel feed enzymatic products to enhance ruminal digestion of low quality forage fiber.” Alberta Agriculture and Forestry. $315K, Apr 2018-Mar 2020.

Research and/or project statements

Agricultural Glycomics

Functional Genomics of Carbohydrate Utilization

Intestinal Microbiomes

Carbohydrate Active Enzymes

Enzyme discovery

Alternatives to antibiotics for livestock production

Education and awards

PhD, Biochemistry University of Victoria (2005). PhD thesis awarded the University of Victoria Governor General’s Gold Medal (2006) and Nominated for NSERC Silver Medal (2006)

BSc (Great Distinction), BIology (Major), Geography (Concentration), Trinity Western University (2000).

Key publications

Brown, K., Abbott, D.W., Uwiera, R.R.E., Inglis, G.D. (2018). Removal of the cecum affects intestinal fermentation, enteric bacterial community structure, and acute colitis in mice, 9(3), 218-235. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/19490976.2017.1408763
2018 - View publication details
Luis, A.S., Briggs, J., Zhang, X., Farnell, B., Ndeh, D., Labourel, A., Baslé, A., Cartmell, A., Terrapon, N., Stott, K., Lowe, E.C., McLean, R., Shearer, K., Schückel, J., Venditto, I., Ralet, M.C., Henrissat, B., Martens, E.C., Mosimann, S.C., Abbott, D.W., Gilbert, H.J. (2018). Dietary pectic glycans are degraded by coordinated enzyme pathways in human colonic Bacteroides, 3(2), 210-219. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41564-017-0079-1
2018 - View publication details
Grondin, J.M., Tamura, K., Déjean, G., Abbott, D.W., Brumer, H. (2017). Polysaccharide utilization loci: Fueling microbial communities, 199(15), http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/JB.00860-16
2017 - View publication details
Jiminez, J.A., Uwiera, T.C., Wade Abbott, D., Uwiera, R.R.E., Inglis, G.D. (2017). Butyrate supplementation at high concentrations alters enteric bacterial communities and reduces intestinal inflammation in mice infected with Citrobacter rodentium, 2(4), http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/mSphere.00243-17
2017 - View publication details
Buchanan, C.J., Webb, A.L., Mutschall, S.K., Kruczkiewicz, P., Barker, D.O.R., Hetman, B.M., Gannon, V.P.J., Abbott, D.W., Thomas, J.E., Inglis, G.D., Taboada, E.N. (2017). A genome-wide association study to identify diagnostic markers for human pathogenic campylobacter jejuni strains, 8(JUN), http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2017.01224
2017 - View publication details
Ndeh, D., Rogowski, A., Cartmell, A., Luis, A.S., Baslé, A., Gray, J., Venditto, I., Briggs, J., Zhang, X., Labourel, A., Terrapon, N., Buffetto, F., Nepogodiev, S., Xiao, Y., Field, R.A., Zhu, Y., O'Neill, M.A., Urbanowicz, B.R., York, W.S., Davies, G.J., Abbott, D.W., Ralet, M.-C., Martens, E.C., Henrissat, B., Gilbert, H.J. (2017). Complex pectin metabolism by gut bacteria reveals novel catalytic functions, 544(7648), 65-70. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature21725
2017 - View publication details
Jiminez, J.A., Uwiera, T.C., Abbott, D.W., Uwiera, R.R.E., Inglis, G.D. (2016). Impacts of resistant starch and wheat bran consumption on enteric inflammation in relation to colonic bacterial community structures and short-chain fatty acid concentrations in mice, 8(1), http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13099-016-0149-6
2016 - View publication details
Hobbs, J.K., Lee, S.M., Robb, M., Hof, F., Barr, C., Abe, K.T., Hehemann, J.H., McLean, R., Abbott, D.W., Boraston, A.B. (2016). KdgF, the missing link in the microbial metabolism of uronate sugars from pectin and alginate, 113(22), 6188-6193. http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1524214113
2016 - View publication details
McLean, R., Hobbs, J.K., Suits, M.D., Tuomivaara, S.T., Jones, D.R., Boraston, A.B., Abbott, D.W. (2015). Functional analyses of resurrected and contemporary enzymes illuminate an evolutionary path for the emergence of exolysis in polysaccharide lyase family, 290(35), 21231-21243. http://dx.doi.org/10.1074/jbc.M115.664847
2015 - View publication details
Abbott, D.W., Martens, E.C., Gilbert, H.J., Cuskin, F., Lowe, E.C. (2015). Coevolution of yeast mannan digestion: Convergence of the civilized human diet, distal gut microbiome, and host immunity, 6(5), 334-339. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/19490976.2015.1091913
2015 - View publication details
Abbott, D.W., Farnell, B.J., and Yamashita, J.W. (2014). "Pectins: structure, function, and the human distal gut microbiota.", - Pectin: Chemical Properties, Uses and Health Benefits, Nova Publishers.
2014 - View publication details
Thomas, D.K., Lone, A.G., Brent Selinger, L., Taboada, E.N., Uwiera, R.R.E., Wade Abbott, D., Douglas Inglis, G. (2014). Comparative variation within the genome of Campylobacter jejuni NCTC 11168 in human and murine hosts, 9(2), http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0088229
2014 - View publication details
Abbott, D.W. and Lammerts van Bueren, A. (2014). "Using structure to inform carbohydrate binding module function.", Current Opinion in Structural Biology, 28, pp. 32-40. doi : 10.1016/j.sbi.2014.07.004
2014 - View publication details
Abbott, D.W., Thomas, D., Pluvinage, B., Boraston, A.B. (2013). An ancestral member of the polysaccharide lyase family 2 displays endolytic activity and magnesium dependence, 171(7), 1911-1923. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12010-013-0483-9
2013 - View publication details
Pluvinage, B., Chitayat, S., Ficko-Blean, E., Abbott, D.W., Kunjachen, J.M., Grondin, J., Spencer, H.L., Smith, S.P., Boraston, A.B. (2013). Conformational analysis of StrH, the surface-attached exo-β-d-N- acetylglucosaminidase from streptococcus pneumoniae, 425(2), 334-349. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jmb.2012.11.005
2013 - View publication details
Abbott, D.W. and Boraston, A.B. (2012). "Quantitative approaches to the analysis of carbohydrate-binding module function in “Cellulases (Glycoside Hydrolases).", in Gilbert, H.J. (ed.) - Methods in Enzymology, Elsevier, pp. 211-231.
2012 - View publication details
Boraston, A.B., Abbott, D.W. (2012). Structure of a pectin methylesterase from Yersinia enterocolitica, 68(2), 129-133. http://dx.doi.org/10.1107/S1744309111055400
2012 - View publication details
Martens, E.C., Lowe, E.C., Chiang, H., Pudlo, N.P., Wu, M., McNulty, N.P., Abbott, D.W., Henrissat, B., Gilbert, H.J., Bolam, D.N., and Gordon, J.I. (2011). "Recognition and degradation of plant cell wall polysaccharides by two human gut symbionts.", PLoS Biology, 9(12, Article No. e1001221). doi : 10.1371/journal.pbio.1001221
2011 - View publication details
Pluvinage, B., Lowe, E.C., Higgins, M.A., Abbott, D.W., Robb, C., Dalia, A.B., Deng, L., Weiser, J.N., Parsons, T.B., Fairbanks, A.J., Vocadlo, D.J., Boraston, A.B. (2011). "Inhibition of the pneumococcal virulence factor StrH and molecular insights into N-glycan recognition and hydrolysis.", Structure, 19(11), pp. 1603-1614. doi : 10.1016/j.str.2011.08.011
2011 - View publication details
Abbott, D.W. and Boraston, A.B. (2011). "Structural analysis of a putative family 32 carbohydrate-binding module from the Streptococcus pneumoniae enzyme, EndoD.", Acta Crystallographica Section F, 67(4), pp. 429-433. doi : 10.1107/S1744309111001874
2011 - View publication details