EAGER: Nanopods: Structure and function of novel bacterial structures

EAGER项目是研究一种新的细胞外附属物，一种纳米足，最初在土壤细菌Delftia中观察到，并基于预测发生在从自由生物体到植物病原体的不同微生物组中的序列分析。 这是第一次报道的附件和该项目的目的是调查nanopod生物起源，nanopod的三维结构，以及nanopod对自然环境中微生物生存的影响。 初步结果表明，nanopod影响细菌形成生物膜的能力，以及它们利用几乎不溶的多核芳烃底物的能力。 该项目存在相关风险，但如果成功，可能会识别出一种新型细菌结构，并开辟一个与细菌与由这种表面附属物介导的环境相互作用相关的新研究领域。更广泛的影响本科生和研究生以及博士后研究员将参与这项研究。 该项目还将作为扩大代表性不足群体成员参与的机制，并将包括来自不同背景的研究助理。 PI将与威斯康星州大学的一个现有小组协调，该小组作为教师和代表性不足社区的潜在学生之间的渠道，作为招募少数民族学生参与该项目的机制。

Intellectual Merit This EAGER project is to study a novel extracellular appendage, a nanopod, observed initially in the soil bacterium, Delftia, and based on sequence analyses predicted to occur in a diverse group of microbes from free living organisms to plant pathogens. This is the first report of the appendage and the project is designed to investigate nanopod biogenesis, the three dimensional structure of the nanopod, and the influence of nanopods on the survival of the microbes in the natural environment. Initial results suggest that the nanopod influences the capacity of bacteria to form biofilms and their ability to utilize nearly insoluble substrates of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons. There are risks associated with this project but if it is successful it could result in the identification of a novel bacterial structure and open a new field of study related to the interaction of bacteria with the environment mediated by this surface appendage.Broader Impact Undergraduate and graduate students as well as post doctoral fellows will be involved in the study. The project also will serve as a mechanism for broadening participation of members of underrepresented groups and will include research assistants from diverse backgrounds. The PI will coordinate with an existing group at the University of Wisconsin, that serves as a conduit between faculty and prospective students in underrepresented communities, as a mechanism for recruiting minority students for inclusion in the project.