Research projects of current students
- Daniel Knack
- Start date: Okt. 2009
- Nationality: German
- Academic studies:
10/2004 - 07/2007: B.Sc. programme "Biology", Philipps-Universität Marburg, Germany; 10/2007 - 09/2009: M.Sc. programme "Molecular and Cellular Biology", Philipps-Universität Marburg, Germany
- Bachelor thesis:
"The diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum as a model organism: construction of a transfection vector with an inducible promoter terminator cassette and localisation studies on symbiont specific ERAD proteins" (2007). AG Maier, Laboratory for Cell Biology. Philipps-Universität Marburg, Germany
- Master thesis:
"The two component sensor kinases TdiS, EdiS and AdiS of anaerobic toluene and ethylbenzene degradation in Aromatoleum aromaticum strain EbN1" (2009). AG Heider, Laboratory for Microbial Biochemistry, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Germany.
- Research group:
AG Heider, Laboratory for Microbial Biochemistry, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Germany.
- Research project description:
During my PhD work I investigate mechanisms of anaerobic alkene metabolism and alkene hydration. My work is based on studies of anaerobic alkene degradation by the sulfate reducing bacterium Desulfococcus oleovorans Hxd3 and on the discovery of an alkene hydration activity of ethylbenzene dehydrogenase (EbDH) which catalyses the oxygen-independent hydroxylation of ethylbenzene in the denitrifying bacterium Aromatoleum aromaticum. D. oleovorans contains an operon coding for an enzyme with high similarity to EbDH, but does not grow on ethylbenzene. Therefore I will investigate whether this enzyme hydrates alkenes as initial reaction of their anaerobic degradation. For this. The following approaches are planned:
1) Investigation of alkene hydrating activity of EbDH: The substrate spectrum and enzyme kinetics will be explored and assay conditions will be optimized for alkene hydration.
2) Investigation of the catalytical properties of the EbDH-like Enzyme of D. oleovorans.
3) Identification of the pathway of alkene degradation/initial reaction in D. oleovorans Hxd3 by 2D-PAGE analysis of cultures grown on alkenes or other substrates and analysis of the induced proteins.
