| Date | December 1, 2006 |
| Speaker | Michael Driscoll (Boston University)) |
| Topic | Inference of a Genome-wide Regulatory Network for the Metal-breathing Microbe Shewanella Oneidensis MR-1 |
| Abstract | Shewanella oneidensis
MR-1 is an environmentally ubiquitous,
metabolically versatile microbe with a broad capacity for the
reduction of metals. Shewanella's ability to shuttle electrons onto
metals -- including arsenic and uranium -- has made it a leading
candidate for use in microbial fuel cells, environmental remediation,
and biologically-based sensors. Though the Shewanella genome has been
sequenced and many of the enzymes involved in electron transport have
been identified, little is known about how this metabolic machinery is
regulated. To this end, we have designed the first Affymetrix
microarray for this organism, to observe and its model global gene
expression. We have profiled gene expression in hundreds of
environmental conditions using a fractional factorial experimental
design, varying nutrients, metallic species, and other factors
within known physiological ranges. We have used this expression
data to infer the first genome-wide regulatory model for Shewanella,
and make testable predictions about how we might optimize this bacteria for
metal reduction in real-world applications.
Research funded by DOE Genomes to Life Project, the Krell Institute, and Boston University Professors T.S. Gardner and J.J. Collins.
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