Research Topics - Geobiotechnology

We are mostly working on anaerobic microbial processes. We study their molecular basis but also develop their applicability in biotechnology. Major areas of our work comprise:

I. Microbiology

• Microbial conversion of antibiotics, identification of degrading organisms
  
• Cultivation and physiological characterization of Anammox bacteria (Kuenenia stuttgartiensis)
• Microbial transformation of halogenated aromatics (e.g. benzenes, dioxins, phenols, ethenes, used as solvents, flame retardants, additives, or pesticides)
  
• Microbial growth by respiratory reductive dehalogenation
• Population analyses
• Morphology and physiology of Dehalococcoidia

II. Biochemistry

• Quinone-free respiration; respiration via a large protein complex
  
• Functional characterization of reductive dehalogenases
• Characterization of dihaloeliminating enzymes
  
• Hydrogenases and electron transport
• Central anabolism of strictly anaerobic bacteria
• Cofactors in anoxic biochemistry (corrinoids; F430; MGD)
• Complexomes
  
• Metalloproteomics
  
• Anammox biochemistry
• Anoxic transformation of antibiotics
  
• Isotope fractionation
• Protein mass spectrometric methods; combination of stable isotopes and mass spectrometry
  
• Amino acid - Stable Isotope Probing

III. Genomics

• Annotation of genomes (Dehalococcoides, Dehalogenimonas) and metagenomes (Anammox)
  
• Functional genomics
  
• Modelling of pathways
• Dehalococcoides as a model for ancient-type metabolism
  

IV. Microbial ecology

• Niche differentiation of anammox bacteria
  
• Microbial ecology of antibiotics transforming bacteria
  
• Detection of Dehalococcoides spp. in complex populations
• Distribution of Chloroflexi spp. in natural environments
• Detection by PCR or activity quantification

V. Application

• Catalysts and electron-transferring metalloproteins for synthetic biology
  
• Anammox side stream treatment in reactors
  
• Bioaugmentation of contaminated soil with Dehalococcoides