Elucidating the mechanisms of morphological plasticity in archaea

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Archaea are ubiquitous, playing important roles in most, perhaps all, ecosystems. Many are found in extreme environments, imbuing them with great potential for industrial applications. A subset of Archaea can significantly affect the climate, while others may promote disease. Yet, we know relatively little about their cell biology. The work funded by this grant will significantly enhance our understanding of archaeal cell biology by addressing a basic but critical question: What are the mechanisms that mediate archaeal cell shape transitions. The cutting-edge tools used to complete this work, many developed in the PI’s lab, will provide scientists at all levels with an excellent opportunity to gain new skills. NSF support will also help build a more diverse and inclusive scientific community through an innovative program exposing students traditionally underrepresented in STEM to research projects at a young age and providing all biology students with a more holistic education.Among Archaea diverse cell shapes have been observed. For instance, Haloferax volcanii can form pleomorphic discs or regularly shaped rods. The isolation of H. volcanii mutants forming only rods or disks under various conditions allows detailed characterization of rod- and disk-shaped cells. Using proteomics and advanced imaging of cells under various growth conditions, proteins specific to each cell shape will be identified, greatly enhancing our understanding of the regulatory and structural components that govern cell shape. These studies could elucidate poorly understood aspects of bacterial cell biology where, despite years of study, cell shape determination, and associated selective pressures, remain poorly understood.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.