Seminar: "The physiology of methanogens under stress induced by light and nutrient availability" - Michel Geovanni Santiago-Martinez

Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology Seminar

Michel Geovanni Santiago-Martinez
Assistant Professor, Molecular & Cell Biology/Microbiology
University of Connecticut

Methanogens are strictly anaerobic microorganisms that play a central role in global carbon cycling, anaerobic digestion, and host-associated microbiomes by converting fermentation byproducts into methane via methanogenesis pathways. Despite their ecological and biotechnological importance, the physiological mechanisms that enable methanogens to withstand environmental and host-derived stressors remain poorly understood.
   
In this talk, I will present the advances from our Microbial Ecophysiology Laboratory at UConn on the physiology of methanogens under stress induced by light and nutrient availability. Using Methanosarcina acetivorans, a model marine methanogen, and Methanobrevibacter smithii, a dominant human-associated methanogen, we investigate how redox-related stress shapes cellular homeostasis, survival, and phenotypic plasticity. Our results show that stress conditions induce changes in the biochemistry of metabolic pathways and in cellular morphology, and activate detection, response, and repair mechanisms.
   
These findings provide new perspectives on how methanogens adapt to dynamic environments and persist under adverse conditions. A better understanding of these processes has implications for controlling methane production in natural and engineered systems, as well as for interpreting the role of methanogens in ecosystems and host-associated microbiomes."