Faculty

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Ellen L. Neidle, Ph.D.
Professor of Microbiology
Ph.D. (1987) Yale University

Address: Department of Microbiology
529 Biological Sciences
Athens, GA 30602-2605
Phone: (706) 542-2852
E-mail: eneidle@uga.edu
COS CV: http://myprofile.cos.com/eneidle
PubMed: neidle el

Research Interests:
Our laboratory research focuses on the degradation of aromatic compounds, such as benzoate, by the soil bacterium Acinetobacter sp. strain ADP1. Aromatic compounds are prevalent in the environment both as the result of natural processes, such as lignin degradation, and as pollutants that pose significant health and ecological hazards. We hope that a better understanding of the factors regulating aromatic compound catabolism will contribute to the development of microbe-based treatments for pollution (bioremediation). Combinations of biochemical and genetic approaches are currently being used to study the enzymes and genes involved in the conversion of benzoate to tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates. Gene regulation, enzyme function, and transport mechanisms are all topics of investigation.

One current project is to understand how two different effector compounds allow the BenM regulatory protein to activate transcription in a synergistic fashion (Bundy et al. 2002 PNAS 99:7693-7698). A new avenue of investigation in the laboratory is the role of gene amplification in the function and evolution of catabolic pathways (Reams and Neidle, Mol. Microbiol. 47:1291-304, 2003). Additional studies focus on the physiological interplay between gene expression and enzyme function (Cosper et al. 2000 J. Bacteriol. 182:7044-7052). Acinetobacter strains are ideal for these studies. In addition to their prominent role in the natural environment, these bacteria are metabolically versatile and easy to culture in the laboratory. Furthermore, the laboratory strains that we use are naturally competent for DNA transformation, thereby facilitating genetic approaches.