O'TooleLab

OToole Lab News

July 08, 2016


We recent published a paper with our collaborators at Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Argentina, Julieta Fernando and Federico Sisti, studying biofilm formation by Bordetella bronchiseptica. We previously identified a large adhesin, LapA, a cyclic di-GMP-receptor LapD and a periplasmic protease, LapG, that is regulated by LapD.  This LapA-LapD-LapG system is critical for biofilm formation by Pseudomonas fluorescens.  We found an analogous system in B. bronchiseptica and describe this system in a recent report (see image).

July 07, 2016

I am currently off campus teaching in the Microbial Diversity
Course at the Marine Biological Lab.  This 6-1/2 week course
touches on a broad range of microbiology - metabolism, enrichment cultures, 
genomics, genetics and microscopy.

One tradition at the course is performing the "Volta
Experiment".  Bacterial produced methane can be collected in
a cedar swamp with explosive results!  
Check out the movie.

The course members gathered around a microscope.