Bacterial Networks and Interactions
About
We study the interaction between bacteria and the viruses (phages) infecting them. Our goal is to gain fundamentally new insights into the bacterial immune system and to apply this knowledge for the development of innovative applications in synthetic biology and biotechnology. Furthermore, we are interested in the design and dynamics of complex regulatory networks enabling microorganisms to adapt to ever changing environments and to discriminate between ‘self’ and ‘foreign’. Microbial model hosts used in our laboratory include the biotechnological platform strain Corynebacterium glutamicum and Streptomyces – the source of most of our antibiotics.
Research Topics
Phage-host interaction: We study how phages target key regulatory hubs of the host cell and how bacteria protect themselves against this attack.
Gene regulatory networks: We study the design and architectures of regulatory networks enabling bacteria to respond to environmental stresses and to interact with other microbes.
Evolutionary engineering: We are harnessing the power of evolution for the development of microbial production strains by using synthetic regulatory circuits and transcription factor-based biosensors.
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News and Highlights | |
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October 2024 | SPP 2330 second funding period launches with kick-off meeting |
October 2024 | Aileen publishes a paper in Microbial Cell Factories, doi: 10.1186/s12934-024-02556-1 |
September 2024 | Tom wins prize for the best presentation at the Regulation in Microbes Conference, Michelsberg |
September 2024 | Sebastian and Tom publish a paper from the Going viral project in Phage, doi: 10.1089/phage.2024.0012 |
September 2024 | Bente publishes a paper in Microbiology Spectrum, doi: 10.1128/spectrum.00663-24 |
August 2024 | Larissa publishes a paper in Microlife, doi: 10.1093/femsml/uqae015 |
August 2024 | Julia publishes an editorial overview in Current Opinion in Microbiology, doi: 10.1016/j.mib.2024.102518 |
July 2024 | Sebastian successfully defends his PhD. Congratulations! |