Adaptive evolution of cellular differentiation programs in the alpha-proteobacterium Hyphomonas neptunium (E04 (B05))

• Subject Area: Metabolism, Biochemistry and Genetics of Microorganisms
• Term: from 2012 to 2020
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 192445154

The goal of this project is to understand how environmental conditions shape the develop-mental programs of bacterial cells, thereby enhancing their fitness and long-term survival in the niches they inhabit. To this end, we will compare the layouts of the signalling networks controlling cellular development in the marine species Hyphomonas neptunium and the freshwater species Caulobacter crescentus, two closely related alphaproteobacteria that have evolved very different modes of growth and proliferation. The results will pinpoint common design principles in the regulatory pathways and help rationalize the differences between the two systems.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 987: Microbial Diversity in Environmental Signal Response
• Applicant Institution: Philipps-Universität Marburg
• Project Head: Professor Dr. Martin Rudolf Thanbichler