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Bilde av Johnsen, Pål Jarle
Bilde av Johnsen, Pål Jarle
Institutt for farmasi paal.johnsen@uit.no +4777623156 +47 47688974 Tromsø You can find me here

Pål Jarle Johnsen

Job description

Professor, Group leader MicroPop Research Group

  • Sergio Arredondo, Anna Kaarina, João Alves, Rebecca Ashley, Klaus, Gerry et al.:
    Plasmid-driven strategies for clone success in Escherichia coli
    Nature Communications 03. avril 2025 DOI / FULLTEKST
  • Anna Kaarina, Rebecca Ashley, Henri, Maiju, Francois Pierre Alexandre, Benjamin J et al.:
    Modulation of multidrug-resistant clone success in Escherichia coli populations: a longitudinal, multi-country, genomic and antibiotic usage cohort study
    Lancet Microbe 2024 DOI / ARKIV
  • Øyvind Myrvoll, Anne Sofie B., Pål Jarle, Christopher :
    The Biofilm Lifestyle Shapes the Evolution of β-Lactamases
    Genome Biology and Evolution (GBE) 2024 DOI / ARKIV
  • Christopher, H. Adrian, Karol, Adrian J., Marc W. van der, Pål Jarle et al.:
    Epistasis arises from shifting the rate-limiting step during enzyme evolution of a β-lactamase
    Nature Catalysis 2024 DOI / ARKIV
  • Mikkel Meyn, João Alves, Pål Jarle, Klaus :
    Plasmids affect microindel mutations in Acinetobacter baylyi ADP1
    Plasmid 2024 DOI / ARKIV
  • Mikkel Meyn, João Alves, Pål Jarle, Klaus :
    The recombination initiation functions DprA and RecFOR suppress microindel mutations in Acinetobacter baylyi ADP1
    Molecular Microbiology 2024 DOI / ARKIV
  • Macaulay, Michiel, Angus, Pål Jarle, Klaus :
    Effect of chemotherapeutic agents on natural transformation frequency in Acinetobacter baylyi
    Access Microbiology 2024 DOI / ARKIV
  • Sergio Arredondo, Rebecca Ashley, Anna Kaarina, João Alves, Anita C., Val F. et al.:
    Mge-cluster: a reference-free approach for typing bacterial plasmids
    NAR Genomics and Bioinformatics 2023 DOI / ARKIV
  • Macaulay, Klaus, Pål Jarle, Angus, Michiel :
    Testing for the fitness benefits of natural transformation during community-embedded evolution
    Microbiology (Reading) 2023 DOI / ARKIV
  • Macaulay, Klaus, Pål Jarle, Michiel :
    Collection of Annotated Acinetobacter Genome Sequences
    Microbiology Resource Announcements (MRA) 2023 DOI
  • Sergio Arredondo, George, Zuyi, Rebecca Ashley, Alfred, Jessica et al.:
    Evolutionary and functional history of the Escherichia coli K1 capsule
    Nature Communications 2023 DOI / ARKIV
  • Tommi, Harry Arthur Frank Wright, Anna Kaarina, Rebecca Ashley, Yan, Maiju et al.:
    Strong pathogen competition in neonatal gut colonisation
    Nature Communications 2022 DOI / ARKIV
  • Vidar, Emma Lu, Anna Sollied, Klaus, Ørjan, Nicole L. et al.:
    Evolutionary Instability of Collateral Susceptibility Networks in Ciprofloxacin-Resistant Clinical Escherichia coli Strains
    mBio 2022 DOI / ARKIV
  • Macaulay, Angus, Klaus, Pål Jarle, Michiel :
    Antimicrobial resistance acquisition via natural transformation: context is everything
    Current Opinion in Microbiology 2021 DOI / ARKIV
  • Rebecca Ashley, Alan, Anna Kaarina, Gerry, John A., Kusti Onni et al.:
    Emergence and dissemination of antimicrobial resistance in Escherichia coli causing bloodstream infections in Norway in 2002–17: a nationwide, longitudinal, microbial population genomic study
    Lancet Microbe 29. juin 2021 DOI / ARKIV / FULLTEKST
  • Jonina, Elizabeth G. Aarag, Catharina I.M., Joachim, Po-Cheng, Dan I. et al.:
    The chemotherapeutic drug methotrexate selects for antibiotic resistance
    EBioMedicine 2021 DOI / ARKIV
  • Christopher, João Alves, Klaus, Viivi H. A., Bjarte Aarmo, Marc W. van der et al.:
    Cryptic β-Lactamase Evolution Is Driven by Low β-Lactam Concentrations
    mSphere 2021 DOI / ARKIV
  • Julia, João A, Joachim, Ørjan, Pål J :
    Piggybacking on Niche Adaptation Improves the Maintenance of Multidrug-Resistance Plasmids
    Molecular Biology and Evolution (MBE) 2021 DOI / ARKIV
  • Pål Jarle, João Alves, Klaus :
    Bacterial evolution on demand
    eLIFE 2021 DOI / ARKIV
  • Sergio Arredondo, Anna Kaarina, Francois Pierre Alexandre, Rebecca Ashley, Anita C., Pål Jarle et al.:
    A high-throughput multiplexing and selection strategy to complete bacterial genomes
    GigaScience 2021 DOI / ARKIV
  • Julia Maria, Joao Pedro Alves, Pål Jarle, Ørjan :
    Host dependent maintenance of a blaNDM-1-encoding plasmid in clinical Escherichia coli isolates
    Scientific Reports 2020 DOI
  • Joao Pedro Alves, Julia Maria, Pål Jarle, Ørjan :
    Host dependent maintenance of a blaNDM-1-encoding plasmid in clinical Escherichia coli isolates
    Scientific Reports 2020 DOI / ARKIV
  • Julia Maria, Pål Jarle, Klaus :
    Tn1 transposition in the course of natural transformation enables horizontal antibiotic resistance spread in Acinetobacter baylyi
    Microbiology (Reading) 2020 DOI / ARKIV
  • Christopher, Vidar, Ane Molden, Pål Jarle, Hanna-Kirsti S., Ørjan :
    OXA-48-Mediated Ceftazidime-Avibactam Resistance Is Associated with Evolutionary Trade-Offs
    mSphere 2019 DOI / ARKIV
  • Nicole L., Elizabeth, Julia Maria, Vidar, Raul, Adam Paul et al.:
    Conserved collateral antibiotic susceptibility networks in diverse clinical strains of Escherichia coli.
    Nature Communications 10. septembre 2018 DOI / ARKIV
  • Nils Fredrik, Vidar, Kristina, Mikkel Meyn, Ane, Raul et al.:
    Costs and benefits of natural transformation in Acinetobacter baylyi
    BMC Microbiology 2017 DOI / ARKIV
  • Christopher, H. Adrian, Karol, Adrian J., Marc W. van der, Pål Jarle et al.:
    Correction to: Epistasis arises from shifting the rate-limiting step during enzyme evolution of a β-lactamase (Nature Catalysis, (2024), 10.1038/s41929-024-01117-4)
    Nature Catalysis 2024 DOI
  • Christopher, Adrian, Karol, Pål Jarle, Nobuhiko :
    Divergent genetic evolution employs the same molecular mechanisms
    2023
  • Øyvind Myrvoll, João Alves, Klaus, Sören, Pål Jarle :
    Genetic conflict between the SXT-element and a multidrug resistance plasmid in Vibrio cholerae
    2023
  • Øyvind Myrvoll, Christopher, Anne Sofie, Sören, Pål Jarle :
    Evolution of Vibrio cholerae biofilms
    2023
  • Øyvind Myrvoll, João Alves, Klaus, Sören, Pål Jarle :
    Genetic conflict between the SXT-element and a multidrug resistance plasmid in Vibrio cholerae
    2023
  • Øyvind Myrvoll, Sören, Pål Jarle :
    Evolution of Vibrio cholerae biofilms
    2022
  • Christopher, Adrian H., Marc W. Van Der, Adrian J., Hanna-Kirsti Schrøder, Pål Jarle et al.:
    Positive epistasis drives the molecular evolution of the carbapenemase OXA-48
    2022
  • Klara, Arnfinn, Pål Jarle, Hanna-Kirsti S., Lise :
    CANS - Centre for New Antibacterial Strategies
    2022
  • Pål Jarle, Elizabeth G Aarag, Ørjan, Klaus :
    The role of drugs used in cancer chemotherapy as drivers of antibiotic resistance evolution in Escherichia coli
    2022
  • Julia Maria, Lea, Anna Kaarina, Ørjan, Pål Jarle, Jukka et al.:
    Different metabolic proficiency among dominant ExPEC lineages
    2022
  • Rebecca Ashley, Alan, Pål Jarle, Ørjan, Jukka :
    Antimicrobial resistance genes and clonal success in Escherichia coli isolates causing bloodstream infection – Authors’ reply
    Lancet Microbe 2021 DOI
  • Julia Maria, Joao Pedro Alves, Joachim, Ørjan, Pål Jarle :
    E. coli Niche Adaptation Improves Plasmid Maintenance
    2021
  • João Alves, Julia Maria, Joachim, Ørjan, Pål Jarle :
    Plasmid cost alleviation as a consequence of niche-adaptation
    2021
  • Julia Maria, João Alves, Joachim, Ørjan, Pål Jarle :
    Plasmid Cost Alleviation By Hitchhiking On Niche-adaptation
    2021
  • Sybil Akua Okyerewa, Kjersti, Elizabeth G. Aarag, Pål Jarle, Mona, Natasa :
    Liposomal delivery of antibiotic loaded DNA nanogels against intracellular infections
    2020
  • Vidar, Anna Sollied, Sören, Ørjan, Nicole L., Pål Jarle :
    Evolutionary stability of collateral effects in ciprofloxacin resistant clinical Escherichia coli strains
    2019
  • Vidar, Anna Sollied, Pål Jarle, Ørjan, Sören, Nicole L. :
    Evolutionary stability of collateral effects in ciprofloxacin resistant clinical Escherichia coli strains
    2019
  • Vidar, Emma Lu, Anna, Nicole L., Sören, Ørjan et al.:
    Evolutionary stability of collateral susceptibility networks in clinical Escherichia coli strains
    2019
  • Christopher, Pål Jarle, Hanna-Kirsti Schrøder, Ørjan :
    Evolution of OXA-48 under sub-MIC conditions
    2019
  • Elizabeth G. Aarag, Nicole, Angie Carola Alarcon, Jessica Nguyen, Chantal, Klaus et al.:
    Gentamicin collateral sensitivity of ciprofloxacin resistant Escherichia coli is opposed by the rapid development of gentamicin resistance
    2019
  • Christopher, Hanna-Kirsti S., Pål Jarle, Ørjan :
    Sub-inhibitory concentrations of ceftazidime drive evolution of the OXA-48 carbapenemase
    2019
  • Julia Maria, Joao Pedro Alves, Ørjan, Pål Jarle :
    Klebsiella pneumoniae MDR-encoding plasmids in clinical isolates of uropathogenic Escherichia coli: plasmid-host co-evolution and its effect on fitness cost of plasmid-mediated resistance
    2018
  • Julia Maria, Joao Pedro Alves, Ørjan, Pål Jarle :
    Plasmid-host co-evolution of Klebsiella pneumoniae MDR-encoding plasmids in clinical isolates of uropathogenic Escherichia coli: effect on fitness cost of plasmid-mediated resistance
    2018
  • Christopher, Vidar, Hanna-Kirsti S., Pål Jarle, Ørjan :
    Development of OXA-48 mediated ceftazidme-avibactam resistance is associated with an evolutionary trade-off
    2018

    • The 50 latest publications is shown on this page. See all publications in Cristin here →

    Research interests

    I'm head of the Microbial Pharmacology and Population Biology Research Group (MicroPop) and generally interested in bacterial microevolution and focusing on two main topics. 

     

    1. Evolution, selection, and spread of antibiotic resistance: It is clear that the frequency of antimicrobial drug resistance in the community is associated with the total level of antimicrobial consumption. Not so clear is the association between reduced consumption levels and subsequent reduction in the frequency of resistance. We focus on different processes that may counteract the reversal of antimicrobial resistance in drug free environments such as the biological cost of resistance, horizontal gene transfer, and genetic stability of resistance determinants. We are currently expanding our activities to include approaches for optimized antimicrobial treatment informed by principles of evolutionary, and population biology.

    2.    Mechanistic and evolutionary consequences of bacterial recombination:  Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) in bacteria plays a major role in adaptive evolution exemplified by the evolution, spread and selection for antibiotic resistance determinants.  For two out of three described mechanisms of HGT, conjugation and transduction, gene recruitment through recombination is likely a coincidental byproduct of plasmids’ and phages’ need for continuous transmission to new hosts. The third mechanism of HGT, natural transformation, is a complex mechanism for DNA uptake that requires the concerted action of many chromosomal genes. On first consideration it appears evident that this mechanism for HGT has evolved to “sample the available sequence space” in order to increase the adaptation rates of transformable strains. However, other hypotheses exist for both the evolution and the maintenance of natural transformation in bacteria. We are currently testing a number of these hypotheses both experimentally and theoretically. We are also interested in the mechanistic basis of bacterial recombination and it affects genetic diversity in microbes.

    CV AND CURRENT POSITION

    2000-2004. 
Ph.D. Student
Supervisors Prof. Arnfinn Sundsfjord, Dr. Med. Gunnar Skov Simonsen

    2004-2005
. Post Doctoral Fellowship. Department of Pharmacology. Prof. Kaare M. Nielsen Lab, Institute of Pharmacy, University of Tromsø, Norway.

    2006-2008: Personal postdoc grant The Norwegian Research Council (NFR), including:

    2007-2008 
Visiting Post Doc. Bruce Levin Lab. Emory University, Atlanta, USA

    2008- Associate Professor of Microbiology. Research group for Microbiology, pharmaco- and molecular epidemiology, Department of Pharmacy, University of Tromsø. Group leader: Prof. Kaare M. Nielsen.

    2014- Associate Professor, Group Leader Microbial Pharmacology and Population Biology Research Group 

     

    2015: Full Professor, Group Leader Microbial Pharmacology and Population Biology Research Group 

     

    SELECTED PUBLICATIONS 

     

    1. Podnecky NL, Fredheim EGA,, Kloos J, Sørum V, Primicerio R, Roberts AP, Rozen DE, Samuelsen Ø, PJ Johnsen. Conserved collateral antibiotic susceptibility networks in diverse clinical strains of Escherichia coli. Nat. Commun. 2018 9: 3673

    2.  Di Luca MC., Sørum V., Starikova I., Klos J., Hülter N., Naseer U., Johnsen PJ., Samuelsen Ø. Low biological cost of carbapenemase producing plasmids following transfer from Klebsiella pneumonia to Escherichia coli. J Antimicrob Chemother. 2017 Jan;72(1):85-89. 

    3.  Harms K., Lunnan A., Hülter N., Mourier T., Vinner L., Andam CP., Martiinen P., Fridholm H., Hansen AJ., Hanage WP., Nielsen KM., Willerslev E., PJ. Johnsen. Substitutions of short Heterologous DNA segements of intragenomic or extragenomic origins produce clustered genomic polymorphisms. Proc Nat Acad Sci U S A, 2016 113:52 15066-071

    4. Ambur OH., Engelstädter J., Johnsen PJ., Miller EL., Rozen DE. Steady at the wheel: conservative sex and the benefits of natural transformation. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2016 Oct 19;371(1706). pii: 20150528.
    5. Di Luca MC., Sørum V., Starikova I., Klos J., Hülter N., Naseer U., Johnsen PJ., Samuelsen Ø. Low biological cost of carbapenemase producing plasmids following transfer from Klebsiella pneumonia to Escherichia coli. J Antimicrob Chemother. 2016 Sep 2. pii: dkw350
    6. Engelstädter J., Harms K., Johnsen PJ. The evolutionary dynamics of integrons in changing environments ISME J, 2016, Jun;10(6):1296-307.
    7. Utnes A., Sorum V., Hulter N., Primicerio R., Kloos J., Nielsen K.M., Johnsen PJ. Growth phase specific evolutionary benefits of natural transformation in Acinetobacter baylyi.  ISME J, 2015;Oct;9(10):2221-31. 
    8. Levin B. R., Baquero F., Johnsen PJ. A Model-Guided Analysis and Perspective on the Evolution and Epidemiology of Antibiotic Resistance and its Future. Invited Current Opin Microbiol. 2014: Jun;19:83-9
    9. Overballe-Petersen S., Harms K*., Orlando L. A., Mayar J. V., Rasmussen S., Dahl T. W., Rosing M. T., Poole A. M., Sicheritz-Ponten T., Brunak S., Inselmann S., de Vries J., Wackernagel W., Pybus O. G., Nielsen R., Johnsen P. J., Nielsen K. M., and Willerslev E. Bacterial natural transformation by highly fragmented and damaged DNA. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2013: 110(49):19860-5. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1315278110. Epub 2013 Nov 18.
    10. Starikova I., Al-Haroni M., Werner G., Roberts A. P., Sørum V., Nielsen K.M., Johnsen PJ. Fitness costs of mobile genetic elements in Enterococcus faecium and Enterococcus faecalis.J Antimicrob Chemother. 2013 Dec;68(12):2755-65. Epub 2013 Jul 5.
    11. Harms K., Starikova I., Johnsen PJ. Costly class 1 integrons and the domesticatioon of the functional integrase. Mob Genet Elements. 2013 Mar 1;3(2):e24774
    12. StarikovaI., Harms K., Lunde T. M., Haugen P., Primicerio R., Samuelsen Ø., Nielsen K. M, Johnsen PJ. 2012. A trade-off between the fitness cost of functional integrases and long-term stability of integrons. PloS Pathog.8(11):e1003043.
    13. Domingues S., Harms K., Fricke F. W., Johnsen P. J., da Silva G., and K. M. Nielsen. 2012. Natural Transformation Facilitates Transfer of Transposons, Integrons and Gene Cassettes between Bacterial Species. PloS Pathog. 8 (8): e1002837
    14. Johnsen PJ., Townsend J. P., Bøhn T., Simonsen G. S., Sundsfjord A., and Nielsen K. M. 2011. Retrospective evidence for a biolog10ical cost of vancomycin resistance in Enterococcus faecium. J. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemother. 66(3):608-10
    15. Johnsen PJ., and Levin B. R.  2010. Adjusting to alien genes. Mol Microbiol. 75: 1061-63 Invited commentary
    16. Ray, J. L., Harms K., O. G. Wikmark, Starikova I., Johnsen PJ Nielsen KM. 2009. Sexual isolation in Acinetobacter baylyi is locus-specific and varies 10 000-fold over the genome. Genetics. 182: 1165-81.
    17. Johnsen PJ., Townsend J., Bohn T., Simonsen GS., Sundsfjord A., Nielsen KM. 2009. Factors affecting the reversal of antimicrobial resistance. Lancet Infect. Dis. 9: 357-364.
    18. Johnsen PJ., Dubnau D., Levin BR. Episodic Selection and the Maintenance of Competence and Transformation in Bacillus subtilis. 2009. Genetics. 181: 1521-1533. Chosen as Editorial highlight for April 2009
    Researcher profile in Cristin

    Member of research group

    CANS   English content Microbial Pharmacology and Population Biology (MicroPop)   English content
    Farmasibygget F4.218


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