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[[Image: | [[Image:Jauchtung0807.jpg|thumb|400px]] | ||
'''Hi, my name is Jennifer Auchtung.''' <br> | '''Hi, my name is Jennifer Auchtung.''' <br> | ||
I | I was a grad student/post-doc in Alan Grossman's lab. <br> | ||
[[Grossman Lab| Back to the Grossman Lab Webpage]]<br> | [[Grossman Lab| Back to the Grossman Lab Webpage]]<br> | ||
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I'm now a post-doc in Jim Tiedje's lab at Michigan State University. [http://www.cme.msu.edu/tiedjelab/index.shtml'''Tiedje Lab''']<br> | |||
'''This is how to contact me:''' <br> | '''This is how to contact me:''' <br> | ||
'''E-mail:''' | '''E-mail:''' j.auchtung@gmail.com <br> | ||
'''Phone:''' ( | '''Phone:''' (517)355-0271 ext 1+286 <br> | ||
'''Address:''' <br> | '''Address:''' <br> | ||
Jennifer Auchtung <br> | Jennifer Auchtung <br> | ||
Center for Microbial Ecology <br> | |||
540b Plant & Soil Sciences Building <br> | |||
Michigan State University <br> | |||
East Lansing, MI 48824 <br><br> | |||
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In addition to expressing the proteins required for DNA uptake and processing, ''B. subtilis'' competent cells are in a transiently differentiated state - cell division arrests and the cells’ metabolism likely changes. Because these changes may be disadvantageous for the cells under certain conditions, competence development is highly regulated. <br> <br> | In addition to expressing the proteins required for DNA uptake and processing, ''B. subtilis'' competent cells are in a transiently differentiated state - cell division arrests and the cells’ metabolism likely changes. Because these changes may be disadvantageous for the cells under certain conditions, competence development is highly regulated. <br> <br> | ||
One mechanism that regulates competence development in ''B. subtilis'' is quorum sensing. Quorum sensing is a mechanism by which cells use small, intercellular signaling molecules to monitor the concentration of other related cells. ''B. subtilis'' cells become competent when they sense they are surrounded by a threshold concentration of related cells. This regulation is likely beneficial to the cells because it limits competence development to conditions when DNA from closely related | One mechanism that regulates competence development in ''B. subtilis'' is quorum sensing. Quorum sensing is a mechanism by which cells use small, intercellular signaling molecules to monitor the concentration of other related cells. ''B. subtilis'' cells become competent when they sense they are surrounded by a threshold concentration of related cells. This regulation is likely beneficial to the cells because it limits competence development to conditions when DNA from closely related cells is more likely to be present. ''B. subtilis'' cells evaluate the concentration of related cells present by producing and responding to small signaling peptides. Previous work had shown that two signaling peptides regulate competence development. My work identified two additional signaling peptides that regulate competence. All four signaling peptides interact with different cellular targets and the expression of the signaling peptides as well as their target proteins are regulated by a variety of different transcription factors which respond to different cellular signals. The involvement of multiple signaling peptides allows for the integration of many regulatory signals in the decision to become competent. <br><br> | ||
'''Regulation of ICE''Bs1'' transfer''' <br> | '''Regulation of ICE''Bs1'' transfer''' <br> | ||
ICE''Bs1'' is an integrative and conjugative element (also known as a conjugative transposon), a type of mobile genetic element that is normally found integrated into the chromosome of a host cell that can excise from the chromosome and transfer to a recipient cell through conjugation. Here is a simplified diagram of the life cycle of an integrative and conjugative element:<br> | ICE''Bs1'' is an integrative and conjugative element (also known as a conjugative transposon), a type of mobile genetic element that is normally found integrated into the chromosome of a host cell that can excise from the chromosome and transfer to a recipient cell through conjugation. Here is a simplified diagram of the life cycle of an integrative and conjugative element:<br> | ||
[[Image: | [[Image:ICE2.jpg]]<br> | ||
Under most conditions, the genes required for ICE''Bs1'' excision and transfer are not expressed. This is likely due to the fact that unrepressed expression of the ICE''Bs1'' excision and conjugation genes is detrimental to the element - it is toxic to the host cell and causes the element to be lost at a high frequency. However, under certain conditions it is beneficial for the element to express its excision and conjugation genes. | Under most conditions, the genes required for ICE''Bs1'' excision and transfer are not expressed. This is likely due to the fact that unrepressed expression of the ICE''Bs1'' excision and conjugation genes is detrimental to the element - it is toxic to the host cell and causes the element to be lost at a high frequency. However, under certain conditions it is beneficial for the element to express its excision and conjugation genes. | ||
One condition that induces expression of the ICE''Bs1'' excision and conjugation genes is the global DNA damage response. Similar to many bacteriophage, ICE''Bs1'' uses this regulation to sense host cell genomic stress and initiate its escape from distressed cells. <br> <br> | One condition that induces expression of the ICE''Bs1'' excision and conjugation genes is the global DNA damage response. Similar to many bacteriophage, ICE''Bs1'' uses this regulation to sense host cell genomic stress and initiate its escape from distressed cells. <br> <br> | ||
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A more thorough description of competence is available in this review written by Ines Chen and Dave Dubnau: <br> | A more thorough description of competence is available in this review written by Ines Chen and Dave Dubnau: <br> | ||
[http://www.nature.com/nrmicro/journal/v2/n3/abs/nrmicro844_fs.html Chen, I. and Dubnau, D. 2004. "DNA uptake during bacterial transformation." Nat. Rev. Microbiol. '''2:'''241-9.]<br><br> | [http://www.nature.com/nrmicro/journal/v2/n3/abs/nrmicro844_fs.html Chen, I. and Dubnau, D. 2004. "DNA uptake during bacterial transformation." Nat. Rev. Microbiol. '''2:'''241-9.]<br><br> | ||
A more thorough description of integrative and conjugative elements is available in this review written by Vincent Burrus and Matt Waldor:<br> | |||
[http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6VN3-4C0HSWR-1&_user=501045&_coverDate=06%2F30%2F2004&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000022659&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=501045&md5=0f17d32b51385ae64f612bc978ae4672 Burrus, V. and Waldor, M.K. 2004. "Shaping bacterial genomes with integrative and conjugative elements." Res. Microbiol. '''155:'''376-86.]<br><br> | [http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6VN3-4C0HSWR-1&_user=501045&_coverDate=06%2F30%2F2004&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000022659&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=501045&md5=0f17d32b51385ae64f612bc978ae4672 Burrus, V. and Waldor, M.K. 2004. "Shaping bacterial genomes with integrative and conjugative elements." Res. Microbiol. '''155:'''376-86.]<br><br> | ||
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[http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6WK7-4B0KW8C-3&_user=501045&_coverDate=11%2F28%2F2003&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000022659&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=501045&md5=68f30baa19396d9ee81caa929b248b42 Snyder, L., Blight, S., and '''Auchtung, J.''' 2003. “Regulation of translation of the head protein of T4 bacteriophage by specific binding of EF-Tu to a leader sequence.” J. Mol. Biol. '''334:''' 349-361.]<br><br> | [http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6WK7-4B0KW8C-3&_user=501045&_coverDate=11%2F28%2F2003&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000022659&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=501045&md5=68f30baa19396d9ee81caa929b248b42 Snyder, L., Blight, S., and '''Auchtung, J.''' 2003. “Regulation of translation of the head protein of T4 bacteriophage by specific binding of EF-Tu to a leader sequence.” J. Mol. Biol. '''334:''' 349-361.]<br><br> | ||
'''Auchtung, J.M.''' and Grossman, A.D. “Cell-cell signaling and the recognition of self in the control of horizontal gene transfer in ''Bacillus subtilis''.” In Cell-cell signaling in Bacteria, Second edition, B.L. Bassler and S.C. Winans, eds. (Washington D.C., ASM Press). In | '''Auchtung, J.M.''' and Grossman, A.D. “Cell-cell signaling and the recognition of self in the control of horizontal gene transfer in ''Bacillus subtilis''.” In Cell-cell signaling in Bacteria, Second edition, B.L. Bassler and S.C. Winans, eds. (Washington D.C., ASM Press). In Press.<br><br> | ||
'''Auchtung, J.M.''', Lee, C.A., Garrison, K.L., and Grossman, A.D. “Identification and characterization of the immunity repressor (ImmR) that controls the mobile genetic element ICE''Bs1'' of ''Bacillus subtilis''.” | '''Auchtung, J.M.''', Lee, C.A., Garrison, K.L., and Grossman, A.D. “Identification and characterization of the immunity repressor (ImmR) that controls the mobile genetic element ICE''Bs1'' of ''Bacillus subtilis''.” In Press.<br><br> | ||
==Teaching Experience== | ==Teaching Experience== | ||
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==Personal== | ==Personal== | ||
When I'm not hard at work, I enjoy reading, running, playing tennis, and spending time with my son, Julian. <br><br> | When I'm not hard at work, I enjoy reading, running, playing tennis, and spending time with my son, Julian. <br><br> | ||
[[Image: | [[Image:TJulian.JPG|thumb|A Michigan fan from birth!|200px]] | ||
My husband, [http://www.mcb.harvard.edu/losick/BBM/tommy/ Tommy Auchtung], is also a microbiologist and a graduate student in Colleen Cavanaugh's lab at Harvard University. He's studying Korarchaeota, a division of Archaea that is thought to be deeply rooted on the evolutionary tree. One perk about studying Korarchaeota is the interesting places he goes to collect samples (Yellowstone National Park, Kamchatka, Russia, the bottom of the ocean.) Unfortunately, I don't get to go along. | My husband, [http://www.mcb.harvard.edu/losick/BBM/tommy/ Tommy Auchtung], is also a microbiologist and a graduate student in Colleen Cavanaugh's lab at Harvard University. He's studying Korarchaeota, a division of Archaea that is thought to be deeply rooted on the evolutionary tree. One perk about studying Korarchaeota is the interesting places he goes to collect samples (Yellowstone National Park, Kamchatka, Russia, the bottom of the ocean.) Unfortunately, I don't get to go along. | ||
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