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Gerben J. Zylstra
Professor
Rutgers University
Biochemistry & Microbiology
Biotechnology Center for Agriculture & the Environment - Foran Hall
59 Dudley Road
School of Env & Biol Sciences
New Brunswick. NJ 08901-8520
(848) 932-6298
FAX - 0312
zylstra@aesop.rutgers.edu
Visit Dr. Zylstra's
Lab |
Molecular and biochemical basis for
microbial aromatic hydrocarbon degradation
Research in my laboratory is directed toward understanding the mechanisms
by which different bacterial strains utilize aromatic and aliphatic
compounds as carbon and energy sources. Projects in the laboratory
emphasize the use of molecular genetic tools in the analysis of gene (and
protein) evolution. the regulation of gene expression. the identification
of intermediate compounds in catabolic pathways. and the functional
analysis of the enzymes involved. The primary theme for projects in the
laboratory is the examination of microbial diversity and how this affects
the degradation of aromatic compounds in the environment. For instance. different bacterial strains may utilize different biochemical pathways for
the degradation of the same aromatic compound. In contrast. different
bacterial strains may degrade an aromatic compound by the same catabolic
pathway but possess genes that have diverged widely in their nucleotide
sequence. This diversity in nucleotide sequence also plays a role in the
specificity and activity of the enzymes produced. Research thus focuses on
a detailed biochemical. physiological. and molecular genetic investigation
and comparison of different model catabolic pathways in several bacterial
genera. The two main areas of emphasis are the identification of new
catabolic pathways or novel genes for known catabolic pathways and the
development of new tools for the rapid cloning and identification of genes
involved in catabolic transformations. The laboratory is currently
focusing on the degradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by Sphingomonas. Comamonas. and Mycobacterium strains; the degradation of
nitrophenols and nitrobenzoates by several different Pseudomonas species and an Arthrobacter species; the degradation of phthalates
by P. cepacia. C. testosteroni. and Acinetobacter strains; and the degradation of alkanes by Pseudomonas. Acinetobacter. and several uncharacterized isolates.
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