Bacterial Networks and Interactions

Head of Department

August 2020

Prof. Dr. Julia Frunzke
Institute of Bio- and Geosciences
IBG-1: Biotechnology
Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH
52425 Jülich
Germany

Graphic Bacterial Networks and Interaction

There are no such things as applied sciences, only applications of science.
(Louis Pasteur)

Our group is fascinated by the design and dynamics of complex regulatory networks microorganisms have evolved to adapt to ever changing environments and to interact with other living species. We are studying the interaction of bacteriophages – viruses infecting bacteria - and their hosts. Of special interest are the molecular mechanisms enabling phages to target key regulatory hubs of the host cell and the question how bacteria protect themselves against this attack. We are convinced that this fundamental knowledge on the molecular mechanisms of bacterial networks and interaction is key for a successful implementation of novel design principles in synthetic biology and metabolic engineering.

Model hosts used in our laboratory include the biotechnological platform strain Corynebacterium glutamicum, the ‘microbial sprinter’ Vibrio natriegens, and Streptomyces – the source of most of our antibiotics.

	News and Highlights
September 2020	Aël publishes a paper in Viruses, https://doi.org/10.3390/v12101065
September 2020	The Frunzke lab is on Twitter https://twitter.com/FrunzkeLab
July 2020	Johanna publishes a paper in ACS Synthetic Biology, doi: 10.1021/acssynbio.0c00111
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