100751 news 1292202000 1475896269 Dr. Thomas DiChristina (Professor of Biology) and Dr. Martial Taillefert (Associate Professor of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences) were recently awarded $1.2 million in research grants by the National Science Foundation to study the molecular mechanism of microbial metal respiration. Metal-respiring microorganisms generate energy by breathing solid metals such as iron or toxic radioactive elements such as uranium in the place of oxygen. Metal-respiring microorganisms are deeply rooted and scattered throughout the prokaryotic tree-of-life, an indication that microbial metal respiration represents an ancient metabolic process, potentially one of the first respiratory processes to have evolved on early Earth. In the modern biosphere, dissolved iron produced during microbial iron respiration serves as a significant source of nutrient iron to organisms in marine and freshwater systems, while production of solid uranium during microbial uranium respiration forms the basis of alternative bioremediation strategies in uranium-contaminated aquifers. Metal-respiring microorganisms also generate electricity in microbial fuel cells, an attractive alternative strategy for providing clean energy solutions. The DiChristina and Taillefert research team will employ complementary genetic, biochemical, and electrochemical techniques to determine the molecular mechanism of this novel respiratory process. The long-term goal of this study is to generate genetically-engineered microorganisms with enhanced bioremediation and electricity generation capabilities.

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