Prof. Dipti Nayak, UC Berkeley

Dipti Nayak from the University of California, Berkeley, United States, will give a talk:

An emerging view of the regulatory landscape in methanogenic archaea

“Methanogens derive their name from a metabolism unique to Archaea called methanogenesis i.e., the ability to couple growth and energy conservation to the generation of methane gas. Given that methanogens inhabit nearly every ecosystem – from hydrothermal vents, to the rumen of cows and the human gastrointestinal tract – their biological significance cannot be understated. Methanogens are the largest source of methane, a greenhouse gas that is 104 times more potent than carbon dioxide on a ten-year timescale. As inhabitants of the human gastrointestinal tract, methanogens exert significant influence on calorie intake, adiposity, and cardiovascular health in humans. By proliferating in anoxic environments that are reminiscent of conditions on early Earth, methanogens also provide a glimpse into the origins of life.

Altogether, our goal is to develop methanogens as a model system to gain insights into the biology of Archaea and also unravel their impact on the past, present, and future of life on Earth.

Currently, we are using Methanosarcina spp. as a model system to pursue the following major research areas:

– Biochemistry of Enzymes and Energy Conservation Modules Involved in Methane Metabolism
(Group Members: Blake Downing, Dr. Dinesh Gupta, Dr. Grayson Chadwick, Katie Shalvarjian, Sophia Adler, Gavin Dury)

– Mechanisms of Signal Transduction and Gene Regulation in Methanogens
(Group Members: Dr. Fernando Medina Ferrer, Katie Shalvarjian, Annelise Goldman)

– Evolution and Function of Eukaryotic Signature Proteins in Archaea
(Group Members: Alienor Baskevitch)”

Host

Prof. Schmitz-Streit