Dr. Anne Meyer, Department of Bionanoscience, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands
Tuesday 8th March, 13:00, Cornwallis Octagon Lecture Theatre 2 (COLT2)
Striking microscopy has revealed that bacteria can respond to conditions of extreme stress by condensing their DNA into a crystalline lattice. The protein responsible for these structures is Dps, which becomes one of the most abundant components of Escherichia coli cells in times of stress and is required for E. coli to survive robustly under many different stress conditions. We have performed single-cell analysis of the transcriptional regulation of the dps response to investigate the kinetics, input-encoding, and variability of the response between individual cells. Our work has revealed that Dps expression occurs in a single pulse of activation with modulating wavelength and amplitude, the intensity of which is poorly correlated with fitness of the cell.
Recently, the Meyer lab has started a new line of research targeted at re-engineering bacteria to synthesize bio-inspired materials with improved properties. This approach has the potential to replace traditional chemical approaches that require extreme environmental conditions, expensive equipment, and the generation of hazardous waste. As a first step we have targeted bacterial production of patterned artificial nacre, a biomineralized material lining seashells that combines high mechanical strength with high fracture toughness. We are currently able to deposit layers of calcium carbonate via bacterial action in alternation with the application of bacterially-synthesized organic polymers. Our visibly layered composite materials represent a breakthrough in the fabrication of tunable, environmentally-friendly materials.