Minority Postdoctoral Research Fellowship for FY2006

该项目是根据2006年少数民族博士后研究奖学金和支持活动计划授予的。门多西诺假单胞菌对铁的摄取铁是地球上最丰富的元素，大多数生命形式进化出对铁的依赖性也许并不奇怪。 然而，在有氧条件下，大部分铁以不溶性铁矿物形式存在。为了应对这种环境压力，原核生物已经进化出了一些策略，例如使用铁载体从有限的可溶性供应中螯合铁。 铁载体和产生铁载体的微生物已被证明对矿物溶解速率有显着影响。 在美国能源部内华达州试验场，特别是那些提议作为矿化放射性核素废物储存场的试验场，矿物稳定性显然至关重要。因此，对微生物对铁循环的贡献的根本兴趣，与对微生物-矿物质相互作用可能产生的不必要影响的担忧相结合。从DOE站点分离，门多萨假单胞菌菌株ymp已被研究用于铁载体生产和矿物溶解。 然而，很少有人知道任何一种门多萨沙门氏菌的遗传内容。这个项目的目标是识别，分类，并组织铁载体介导的途径，并通过非预期的途径参与铁摄取的基因。 最后，在实现这些目标的过程中，将开发一些遗传和分子生物学工具，使P. mendocina更适合未来的地球化学研究。 这项研究将在圣母大学Jennifer DuBois博士的实验室进行。 Awaya博士旨在通过NSF少数民族奖学金，加强他作为分子微生物学家的技能，并提供另一种方法来了解微生物-矿物质相互作用。 此次博士后培训的主要目的是为他将来成为分子微生物学领域的领先环境科学家奠定坚实的基础。 他将参加几次科学会议，介绍他的研究成果，为未来的合作建立个人联系，并获得反馈，以加强他作为科学界研究人员的能力。他的计划之一是能够建立自己的实验室并在大学任教。

This project is awarded under the Minority Postdoctoral Research Fellowships and Supporting Activities Program for 2006. IRON ACQUISITION BY PSEUDOMONAS MENDOCINA STRAIN YMPIron is the most abundant element on earth and perhaps not surprising that most forms of life have evolved an obligate dependence on iron. However, under aerobic conditions the majority of iron exists as insoluble ferric mineral forms. In response to such environmental pressures, prokaryotes have evolved strategies such as the use of siderophores for sequestering iron from a limited soluble supply. Siderophores and siderophore-producing microbes have been shown to have significant effects on rates of mineral dissolution. Mineral stability at DOE Nevada test sites, particularly those proposed as storage sites for mineralized radionuclide waste, is clearly critical. The fundamental interest in microbial contributions to iron cycling is therefore compounded by concern over possible unwanted repercussions of microbe-mineral interactions. Isolated from the DOE site, Pseudomonas mendocina strain ymp has been studied for siderophore production and mineral dissolution. However, very little is known about the genetic content of any strain of P. mendocina. The goals of this project are to identify, classify, and organize genes involved in iron uptake by both siderophore-mediated pathways, and by unanticipated pathways. Finally in the process of meeting these aims, a number of genetic and molecular biological tools that will make P. mendocina more amenable for future biogeochemical investigations will be developed. The research will be conducted in the laboratory of Dr. Jennifer DuBois at Univeristy of Notre Dame. Dr. Awaya aims through the NSF Minority Fellowship, to strengthen his skills as a molecular microbiologist and to provide an alternative approach to understand microbe-mineral interactions. The main objective of this postdoctoral training is to construct a solid foundation for him to become a leading environmental scientist in molecular microbiology in the future. He will attend several scientific meetings to present his research findings, make personal contacts for future collaborations and receive feedback to strengthen his abilities as a researcher in the scientific community. One of his plans is to be able to establish his own laboratory and teach at a univeristy.