The Shank Lab, 2024
Principal Investigator
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Elizabeth Shank
[email protected] Postdoctoral Fellow Harvard Medical School Ph.D. 2004 University of California, Berkeley B.S. 1998 Pennsylvania State University |
I am interested in understanding how compounds secreted by microbes affect the physiology, metabolism, and survival of their microbial neighbors, and how such interactions influence the stability and dynamics of complex microbial communities. I became interested in these questions when spending a month as an undergraduate REU student at the Bermuda Biological Station for Research, where I studied the interactions between sea anemones and their dinoflagellate symbionts. I then elected to do my graduate work in protein biochemistry and biophysics, where I studied how single protein molecules unfold and refold under mechanical stress in the lab of Susan Marqusee. I returned to microbial interactions during my postdoctoral work with Roberto Kolter, laying the foundation for the questions my lab is now pursuing. My primary role in the lab is as an idea generator, experimental advisor, collaboration initiator, professional mentor, and grant-writer.
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Postdoctoral Researchers
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My research is focused at the intersection of bacterial physiology, genetics, metabolism, and biofilm formation. My postdoctoral research projects focus on both soil and intestinal microbiota and how microbes interact with each other within these complex environments. I am interested in how diverse Bacilli and their specialized metabolites impact the gene expression and physiology of intestinal symbionts and pathogens. From a soil perspective, I am interested in how environmentally available carbon sources shape gene expression, metabolism, and biofilm formation in Bacillus subtilis and how these alterations impact interactions with other members of soil microbial communities. Furthermore, I am involved in a large multi-lab collaboration between the Shank, Klepac-Ceraj (Wellesley), Riveros-Iregui (UNC), and Leon-Reyes (USFQ) labs examining how invasive species and climate interact to alter soil microbial ecology within distinct microclimates on the Galápagos island of San Cristóbal. When not doing science, I enjoy hiking, climbing, skiing, and board games.
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Graduate Student Researchers
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Soil is a complex and dynamic ecosystem where organisms cooperate and compete for resources. In the Shank lab I will be working to elucidate the mechanisms by which members of the soil microbiome communicate with one another, specifically looking at the role secondary metabolites play in inter-cellular communication. I’m also interested in the mechanisms of phenotypic heritability among bacteria. I’ll be studying these mechanisms using Bacillus subtilis as a model organism. |
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Microbial specialized metabolites are structurally complex natural products that have been a rich source of therapeutics for decades. These diverse molecules are often employed as bacterial cell-cell signals and can provide microbes with a selective advantage in competitive environments. The machinery required to manufacture these specialized metabolites is encoded by biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs). Most BGCs are 'silent' or not expressed under typical laboratory conditions, leaving a vase repertoire of biosynthetic potential untapped. The objective of my research is to exploit bacterial coculture to activate silent BGC expression in Bacilli, a metabolically under-explored genus. I am using a combinatorial approach leveraging bioinformatics, transcriptomics, and metabolomics to elicit uncharacterized bioactive specialized metabolites.
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Claudia Perez [email protected] M.S. 2022, Virginia Tech B.S. in Molecular and Cellular Biology, 2018 Johns Hopkins University |
I am interested in the complex interplay between communities of microorganisms, their hosts, and their environments. My project in the lab involves studying soil bacteria in the context of soil pollution. I am particularly interested in the potential changes in the plant growth promoting abilities of certain bacteria when exposed to pollutants. When I'm not in lab, I enjoy playing board games, going on adventures, and trying out new restaurants.
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Bacteria produce a wide range of natural products that have great therapeutic potential. However, most bacteria are unculturable or do not produce these natural products in a lab setting. I am interested in developing methods to more closely replicate the natural environment insure the lab to better study the biosynthetic potential of soil bacteria. I would like to approach this question using a combination of techniques, including traditional microbiology, mass spectrometry and bioinformatics. Outside of the lab, I like to read and spend time with family.
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Technicians
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Amelia Sadlon
[email protected] B.S. in Biology and Biotechnology, 2023 Worcester Polytechnic Institute |
My research interests revolve around the effects and mechanisms of microbial interactions with their environment and other organisms, as well as the relevance of these interactions to human and environmental health. In the lab I will be contributing to an array of projects, including studies examining how Bacillus subtilis responds to carbon sources, experimental evolution in transparent soil, and microbe community comparison across native and invasive plants. My interests outside the lab include baking, gardening, hiking, and playing piano.
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