Department of Biochemistry and Redox Biology Center Seminar Series

"Physiological responses of methanogenic archaea to redox stress"

Our Microbial Ecophysiology Laboratory at UConn studies the biology of methanogenic archaea (methanogens) and their role in human and ecosystem health. In this talk, I will present our progress in characterizing the mechanisms by which methanogens respond to stress induced by sunlight, oxygen, and nutrient availability. Using model strains of methanogens found in anaerobic sediments and the human gut, we investigate how redox-related stress influences cellular homeostasis, survival, and phenotypic plasticity. Our results show that these stress conditions induce changes in the biochemistry of metabolic pathways and in cell morphology, while simultaneously activating response and repair mechanisms.