+++ latest news +++
The Mikrokumpel ('Microbuddy') by Lily has come alive (for example here, or contact us)! An introduction to bacteria (and that they are not all making you sick, but are mostly friends & helpers) for children between 3 and x, with some further information for older readers as well. All income will be donated to early science education and research programs for children.
A piece in Annual Reviews of Microbiology covering the motility of polarly flagellated bacteria - it's not all run & tumble. Compiled with Carsten Beta and Marco Kühn. Pre-version out now. Enjoy.
Primary polar and secondary flagellar systems elegantly work together to drive bacterial swimming. The final Kühn et al from our lab, nicely finished by Daniel. Now out. Great work, guys!
Bacterial Adaptation
- flagella-mediated motility
- bacterial cell biology
- microbe-surface interactions
Our Lab is part of the Institute for Microbiology and Molecular Biology at the Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, a lively city in the centre of Germany with Germany's highest student to resident ratio. We are located at the Interdisziplinäres Forschungszentrum (iFZ), a Research Centre for Biosystems, Land Use and Nutrition. In addition, we have a number of national and international collaborations.
flagella-mediated motility
The bacterial flagellar motor is a highly intricate rotating molecular nanomachine. We are interested in the spatiotemporal regulation of flagellar assembly and the various aspects by which flagellar production and functions can be regulated. The cryotomographic image of the Shewanella putrefaciens polar flagella motor was kindly provided by the Beeby Lab.
cell polarity
Numerous fundamental cellular processes in cells (including bacteria) require tight spatiotemporal regulation and coordination. We explore the mechanisms by which bacteria achieve appropriate spatiotemporal organization in particular at the cell pole.
cell-surface interaction
Most bacteria in nature will be found in surface-associated communities. We are interested in mechanisms of cell-surface and cell-cell interactions. The EM image of a Shewanella oneidensis microcolony was taken by J. Gödeke and J. Berger at Tübingen.