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Gary S. Sayler PhD: Idaho 676 Dabney/Buehler |
Keywords:
Ecological and toxicological impact of environmental contaminants on microbial communities; biodegradative mechanisms, plasmids and transposons.
Research Area:
Application of molecular methods in analysis of biodegradative microbial community structure and function. Genetic engineering strategies for biodegradative and biosensing organisms.
Description of Research:
Our research interests are directed towards the microbial metabolism of natural and synthetic, toxic organic molecules. The objectives of this research are to elucidate interactions among physical, chemical, and biological factors, which modulate the effects of selective environmental pressure on environmental pathways and kinetics of microbial biodegradation. Extensions of this research have been made to develop and use nucleic acid analytical approaches and 16S phylogenetic analyses to study dynamics of specific populations and their interactions in the environment and waste treatment. New efforts have utilized differential display approaches to examine biodegradative and stress response gene expression, at the level of mRNA, in the environment. A major emphasis has also been placed on the use of lux transcriptional gene fusions to study gene expression by bioluminescence under in situ conditions.
In this area, we completed a two-year field test of bioluminescent bioreporter GEM release in large soil lysimeters at ORNL. This was the first such test worldwide. In addition, an exciting new technology built around Bioluminescent Bioreporter Integrated Circuits (BBIC) has been developed for remote environmental sensing of many environmental contaminants. BBIC technology is currently being explored for broad applications in medicine, spaceflight and the environment.
Selected Publications: