Huge effort by postdocs Annarita Ricciardelli and Benoit de Pins and many other in my lab and fantastic collaborators, and one of the main results of the @ERC_Research #erc_coevolve project! #microbiology #Metals #Evolution
This has big implications for microbial ecology, biogeochemistry & evolution, since many organisms rely on diverse metals to access electron donors and acceptors. Could past changes in metal availability have shaped Earth's microbial life? Our study suggests yes! 🌏⏳ 5/6
Proteomics revealed a huge energy cost: metal-depleted cells upregulate metal transporters & fail to express key respiratory enzymes. This metal constraint may shape microbial evolution & competition in natural environments. 🔎🌍4/6
In E. coli we found that when key metals are scarce, growth slows, nitrate respiration stops, and cells shift to fermentation despite nitrate being still available! This shows metabolic choices are not just thermodynamic but also cofactor-limited. 📉🦠3/6
Microbes rely on redox reactions for energy, using terminal electron acceptors like oxygen & nitrate. But here’s the twist: their ability to use these acceptors depends on trace metals like Fe, Cu & Mo, not just availability of substrates! 🧬⚙️2/6
A new preprint is out! 🚨 We show that trace metal availability directly controls microbial metabolism, forcing cells to shift to less efficient energy pathways—even when better electron acceptors are available! ⚡🔬1/6
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... @biorxiv-microbiol.bsky.social
We’re kicking off our Archean Park ERC project at @uni-muenster.de with @alexjprobst.bsky.social Jens Kallmeyer, Ivan Berg and Kai-Uwe Hinrichs & respective groups! Thanks very much to @donatogiovannelli.bsky.social and Prof. William Martin for giving invited talks to get us started!
We are collecting data on "periods of things not working" in the lab through a (very very short) poll, can you please complete it and share it?
forms.gle/pLAUg43Uy8M7...
Thank you, I'll send it immediately!
Strange that the copy/past did not work... Here it is:
www.donatogiovannelli.com/vacancies
Ok, let's talk about it. Everyone complains that in Italy there are no opportunities for young researchers. Then you open a 2y position well paid (by Italian standards), funded by an ERC and you barely get any application? Really?!? #AcademicChatter
donatogiovannelli.com/vacancies
Hello @bsky.app #science! Just landed here from X! I'm a prof of Microbiology at the Univ. of Naples, Italy, interested in extreme environments and geo-bio coevolution. Let's connect!
