Project description:We isolate the cultivable microbiome of a diatom and show that different bacteria have commensal, antagonistic, or synergistic effects on the diatom. One synergistic bacterium enhances growth of the diatom by production of auxin, a phytohormone. The diatom and its synergistic bacterium appear to use auxin and tryptophan as signaling molecules that drive nutrient exchange. Detection of auxin molecules and biosynthesis gene transcripts in the Pacific Ocean suggests that these interactions are widespread in marine ecosystems.
Project description:The aim of this research was to isolate purple bacteria from waste that degrade plastics. Using metagenomic techniques, bacteria living in plastic debris were identified, and subsequently the metabolic pathways and proteins involved in them were studied using metaproteomics.
