Adaptation mechanisms of globally successful marine cyanobacteria

蓝藻是地球上最丰富的光合作用生物。为了适应高度多样化的物理和化学海洋环境，蓝藻使用不同的策略，使它们能够在许多水生生境中茁壮成长，包括低纬度海洋的巨大营养枯竭环流。您的项目将采用分子方法来理解这个生态成功的故事。你将描述和比较适合研究适应策略的分子系统。了解适应是一项高度跨学科的科学挑战；该项目将包括实地研究，发展对海洋生物地球化学的了解，并包括对特定分子机器的生物化学的研究。这个PHD的主要目标是铁稳态：铁摄取系统和在铁限制下上调的选定关键酶将被研究，从金属依赖的果糖1，6-二磷酸醛糖酶等管家酶开始研究。分子方法的回报不仅是更好地理解适应策略，而且是对这种知识的应用，以开发未来的技术或有效的过程。这可能包括功能和结构上的新型高效蛋白质，以及可用作分子工具包的优化酶。

Cyanobacteria are the most abundant photosynthetic organisms on the planet. To adapt to the highly varied physical and chemical marine environment, cyanobacteria use diverse strategies that allows them to thrive in many aquatic habitats, including the vast nutrient-depleted gyres of the low latitude oceans.Your project will take a molecular approach to understanding this ecological success story. You will characterise and compare molecular systems that are suited to study adaptation strategies. To understand adaptation is a highly interdisciplinary scientific challenge; this project will include fieldwork study, developing an understanding of the biogeochemistry of the oceans, and include the study of the biochemistry of specific molecular machines. A primary target of this PhD is iron homeostasis: iron uptake systems and selected key enzymes that are upregulated under iron limitation are to be studied, starting with housekeeping enzymes such as metal dependent fructose 1,6-bisphosphate aldolase.The reward of a molecular approach is not only a better understanding of adaptation strategies but also the application of this knowledge for developing future technologies or efficient processes. This might include novel and highly efficient proteins, both in function and structure, and optimised enzymes that can be used as a molecular tool-kit.