Laboratory of Microbial Genetics and Gene Expression

Bacteria are the dominant form of life on Earth, inhabiting all types of environments. Without them, life would not exist.
The study of these fascinating organisms is imperative for understanding the world we live in, it is essential for development of novel approaches to combating infectious diseases, and it is indespensable for new biotechnologies and industrial applications.

The bacterial cell is a complex system that is finely-tuned to react to changes in its environment and, subsequently, adapt.
This adaptation depends on changes in gene expression. The central enzyme of gene expression is RNA polymerase. This multi-subunit protein recognizes sequences in the DNA, called promoters, where it initiates transcription and starts synthesizing RNA that either serves as the template for ribosomes to make proteins or has regulatory functions. Transcription is a multi-layer proces with many regulatory steps. Understanding this proces – how it is regulated by outside stimuli – what the outcomes are – and how this contributes to creating the fabric of life – is the main research focus of our laboratory.

Projects in our laboratory include topics such as:

• Studies of RNA polymerase, roles of RNA polymerase subunits and  associated regulators in Gram-positive bacteria (e.g.Bacillus, Mycobacterium)
• Regulation of RNA polymerase by small-molecule effectors (e.g., initiating nucleoside triphosphates),
• Studies of promoter DNA sequence and its effects on gene expression.
• The role of RNA/DNA modifications in gene expression regulation.
• Function of small RNAs (sRNA) in Mycobacterium smegmatis (e. g. Ms1).
• Development of novel compounds with antibacterial activity.