BACSIN: Bacterial Abiotic Cellular Stress and Survival Improvement Network: identification of stress response factors in an organic pollutant-degrading sphingomonas strain.

BACSIN is an international EU funded research project comprising 16 European Insti-tutions. It aims at improving the exploitation of the catalytic properties of bacte-ria for treatment of environmental pollution. Current environmental application of bacteria is hindered by the lack of knowledge on the effects of stresses on cellular activity, especially abiotic stresses prevailing on site (e.g., desiccation, nutri-ent starvation or toxicity), and those during strain preparation and formulation. BACSIN performs research and technology to overcome this hindrance for subsequent improved usage. Key cellular factors and regulatory networks determining the inter-play between stress-survival and pollutant catabolism will be unveiled, and faithful predictive models for cell behaviour will be produced. At KULeuven, the cellular and gene expression responses of a Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon(PAH)-degrading Sphingomonas to various abiotic stresses will be studied in biofilms using differen-tial expression approaches. Stress response factors will be identified and their expression in relation with expression of PAH catabolic genes under the different stress situations will be examined, both in laboratory systems and field situations.

Keywords:Biodegradation, Organic pollutant, Abiotic stress, Differential display, Soil, Sphingomonas, Regulatory network, Stress response

Disciplines:Biomaterials engineering, Biological system engineering, Biomechanical engineering, Other (bio)medical engineering, Environmental engineering and biotechnology, Industrial biotechnology, Other biotechnology, bio-engineering and biosystem engineering, Sustainable and environmental engineering, Biochemistry and metabolism, Medical biochemistry and metabolism, Microbiology, Systems biology, Laboratory medicine