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The Brauer
Lab |
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Opportunities: Positions are available
for enthusiastic and motivated graduate and undergraduate students. Graduate
students can receive funding in the form of teaching assistantships or
research fellowships. Undergraduates can receive independent study credit, or
can apply for a small fellowship. If you are interested in joining the Brauer
Lab, please stop by Rankin Science West 264, or email: brauersl@appstate.edu. Research Projects: Methane-producing
Microbes in Local Peat Bogs: 1) We are currently
completing characterizations of Methanoregula boonei, the first
acidiphilic methanogen in isolation (Nature 2006). 2) In
addition, we plan to build on recent genome analyses by conducting studies of
gene expression. Analyses suggest that M.
boonei (an Archaean) may have acquired ion transporters from acidiphilic
Bacteria. Further, these genes may have allowed M. boonei to adapt to the low nutrient, low pH environment found
in the peat bog. We aim to determine which of these genes are being
expressed, and to gain insight into the metabolism of these methane producing
microorganisms. 3) We also plan to use florescence in situ
hybridization to visualize organisms related to Methanoregula boonei
in environmental samples. 4) In addition, we are collaborating with Dr.
Stephen H. Zinder (Cornell University), and Dr. Hinsby Cadillo-Quiroz
(University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign) in conducting comparative genomic
analyses between Methanoregula boonei and a related neutrophilic
strain, Methanosphaerula palustris. 5) Lastly, we will be
studying carbon flow in peat bogs, specifically focusing on acetate. We hope
to determine if acetate is being readily utilized by methanogens in the field
at this latitude or if it is being transiently accumulated. In addition, we
will attempt to isolate novel aceticlastic methanogens using bioreactors.
Overall, we hope to learn more about these methanogens that are important in
global climate change. Manganese-oxidizing
Bacteria from the Deep-Sea, the Columbia River Estuary, and Salt Peter Cave,
TN: 1)
As part of my research in the deep-sea, I have designed a peptide probe to
select for Mn oxide particles and associated bacteria in microbial mats from
the environment. Analyses at Loihi Seamount, Hawaii, have identified putative
new Mn oxidizers among the Rhodobacter/Roseobacter clade. In addition, I
recently isolated a new Mn oxidizer in the Rhodobacter/Roseobacter
clade, whose 16S rRNA gene sequence has 94% identity to one of the 16S rRNA
gene sequences in the Mn probe captured library. We are currently in the
process of characterizing this new isolate. 2) In my research in the
Columbia River estuarine turbidity maxima (ETM), I recently cultured new
Mn-oxidizers from a clade in the family Rhodobacteraceae
that were not previously known to oxidize Mn. In addition, I found that
significant proportions of the culturable population are capable of either
oxidizing or reducing Mn, suggesting that these processes may be important
biogeochemical processes in the ETM. I am currently working with
undergraduate, Clare Adams to determine the abundance of the isolated Rhodobacter species in the ETM. 3) We are currently applying
culturing and molecular techniques to study manganese-oxidizers and rock
weathering in local caves,
including Salt Peter Cave, TN. Additional information can be found in my curriculum vitae. |
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