Dr Kiel Hards, Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of Otago
Understanding synergy, mutualism and redundancy in microbial metabolism
From enzymes to ecosystems, biology exhibits cooperative behaviours at all levels. Whether it is enzyme cooperativity or plant pollination, the biological responses of multiple factors tend to be greater than the sum of their isolated components. However, reductionist approaches to bacterial physiology tend to overlook the intra- and inter-organism relationships of metabolic pathways, leading to unexpected outcomes in vivo or in situ. Increased understanding of these phenomena are required for diverse research outcomes, ranging from improved rationale design of antibiotics to enhanced understanding of global gas cycles.
In this seminar, I will cover three recent projects where I am reconstructing the molecular interactions of microbial metabolic pathways at various levels:
- Interspecies electron transfer and its role in supporting pathogen-commensal interactions
- Functional redundancy in terminal oxygen reduction and the need for dual inhibition in Tuberculosis therapies
- Mixotrophy in thermoacidophilic methanotrophs and why extremophiles retain metabolic flexibility
