Bacteria are microscopic single-celled organisms, but they can come together to form multi-cellular communities including biofilms, which are three-dimensional structures of bacterial cells embedded in a matrix of sugars and DNA. The formation of biofilms is an important step in many infectious diseases, but it’s also essential for the formation of beneficial bacterial communities.
One of the key questions in understanding how bacteria form multi-cellular communities (aggregates, microcolonies, biofilms) is what molecular interactions hold them together. Another way to ask that is; what molecules on the bacterial surface are essential for binding, either to other bacterial cells or to some secreted factor like DNA?
My group’s research is centered around understanding how bacteria interact with their environment through surface proteins, particularly appendages like flagella or pili; including movement along surfaces, uptake of DNA and binding to host cells during infection. The goal of this project is to use some of the tools we’ve developed to create a molecular description of the interactions between bacterial cells that lead to the formation of larger assemblies. The experimental design will involve the combination of biochemistry (does a particular protein bind to mucus?), microbiology (does this pair of bacteria form more biofilm together or separately?) and structural biology (what three-dimensional structure does this protein sequence fold into?). By combining information from multiple approaches, we can build models of how interactions occur and iteratively test them.
Advisor Name: | Kurt Piepenbrink | |
Email: | kpiepenbrink2@unl.edu | |
Website: | https://foodforhealth.unl.edu/kurt-piepenbrink | |
Advisor College: | Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources | |
Advisor Department: | Food Science and Technology / Biochemistry | |
Potential Student Tasks: | The primary responsibilities for this project include; 1) Reading and acquiring the knowledge to understand the context of the work in the field and becoming proficient in biochemical and microbial techniques, particularly protein purification and bacterial cell culture. 2) Working collaboratively with other members of the group to collect and analyze data. 3) Participating in discussions, in weekly lab meetings and other forums. |
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Student Qualifications: | The only really unique requirement for these projects is curiosity about the microbial world and the desire to use molecular tools to understand it. All of the technical aspects can be taught, but an organized mind and attention to detail will make this process much easier. The skills used in this project will synergize best with students pursuing courses of study in the life sciences and quantitative sciences (Chemistry, Biochemistry, Biological Sciences, Microbiology and related disciplines). | |
Training, Mentoring, and Workplace Community: | Regardless of the level of trainee, my primary goal is always to help foster a genuine spirit of inquiry. Undergraduates from my group have gone on to graduate programs and professional schools in the past and I’ve generally found that training in quantitative biology is useful throughout. Because my group sits at the interface between groups in several respects; I hold a joint appointment between Biochemistry and Food Science and my group uses techniques from structural biology and microbiology and I’m a member of multiple centers, anyone working in my group has to comfortable interacting with people from other disciplines who often have a very different perspective on what questions are important. That dialogue is a key factor in what makes multi-disciplinary groups, including my group and the food for health center, successful. | |
Available Positions | 2 |