Home Department: Bioengineering
Mentor: Jonas Cremer (Biology)

"Beyond Canonical Carbon Catabolite Repression: Strain-Dependent Carbon Hierarchy in Commensal E. coli Strains"

Microorganisms encounter constant changing nutrient environments, and hence must prioritize the available carbon sources to optimize growth. In E. coli, this regulatory strategy is known as ‘carbon catabolite repression’. The lac operon has served as a classic model for understanding how glucose suppresses the expression of genes required for the utilization of alternative carbon sources. However, preliminary data from the lab revealed that not all strains of E. coli prefer glucose. Building on this observation, my research project focuses on characterizing the strain-dependent hierarchy of sugars in commensal E. coli strains from the human gut. Knowing this hierarchy is important in understanding its adaptability in gut environments where the availability of nutrients are fluctuating.