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SUMMARY:Understanding alga-microbe symbiosis - Vaibhav Bhardwaj
DTSTART:20130510T113000Z
DTEND:20130510T115500Z
UID:TALK44281@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Megan Cooper
DESCRIPTION:Algae offer a unique opportunity for producing low cost biofue
 l while at the same time using less land and water when compared to corn o
 r sugarcane. Nonetheless there are several challenges that need to be over
 come before this process becomes commercially viable. One of the challenge
 s of cultivating algae on a large scale is protecting the crop from invasi
 ve microorganisms. Kazamia et al. (2012) propose creating a synthetic ecos
 ystem by populating algal ponds or photobioreactors with known symbiotic b
 acteria that act in concert with the surroundings to promote algal growth 
 and minimise risk of contamination by parasitic organisms. This is achieve
 d by selecting symbiotic microbes to occupy niches that parasitic microbes
  may have tried to enter. Our lab developed an alga-microbe system to stud
 y symbiosis using Lobomonas rostrata (alga) and Mesorhizobium loti (bacter
 ia). The symbiosis is dependent on the bacteria providing the algae with v
 itamin B12 and in turn the algae providing the bacteria with a fixed carbo
 n source. I am investigating whether genes involved in Vitamin B12 synthes
 is are expressed at higher levels in the bacteria when the bacteria are gr
 own in co-culture with Lobomonas compared to mono-culture. Additionally I 
 also performed in silico studies identifying putative genes in Chlamydomon
 as reinhardtii that may be involved in algae-microbe interactions. Collect
 ively this work seeks to improve our understanding of alga-microbe interac
 tions.
LOCATION:Biffen Lecture Theater\, Department of Genetics
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