Minority Postdoctoral Research Fellowship for FY2006

本项目为2006年度少数民族博士后科研资助项目。铁是地球上最丰富的元素，也许并不奇怪，大多数生命形式已经进化到对铁的专门依赖。然而，在好氧条件下，大多数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一些策略，比如利用铁载体从有限的可溶性供应中隔离铁。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著影响。美国能源部内华达试验场的矿物稳定性，特别是那些拟议作为矿化放射性核素废料储存场所的试验场，显然至关重要。因此，对微生物对铁循环的贡献的基本兴趣与对微生物-矿物相互作用可能产生的不良影响的关注相结合。从DOE位点分离的mendocina假单胞菌ymp菌株进行了产铁载体和矿物溶解的研究。然而，很少知道任何菌株的mendocina的遗传内容。该项目的目标是通过铁载体介导的途径和意想不到的途径来识别、分类和组织参与铁摄取的基因。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mendocina更适合未来的生物地球化学研究。这项研究将在圣母大学的Jennifer DuBois博士的实验室进行。Awaya博士的目标是通过NSF少数族裔奖学金，加强他作为分子微生物学家的技能，并提供一种理解微生物-矿物相互作用的替代方法。这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顶尖环境科学家打下坚实的基础。他将参加几次科学会议，展示他的研究成果，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，并在一所大学教书。

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.